Influential Ladies PT. 1 : Casey Desmond

Lately, I've been focusing a lot more on personal branding, fashion, and trends. I'm always IN the fashion industry, and I can't help but be inspired by so many amazingly creative people around me. I'll be posting over the new few days about some of the ladies in my generation who really inspire my work personally and give me something to aspire to.

Sorry boys! You'll get your spotlights soon enough.

1. Casey Desmond

Casey Desmond is a Boston musician with an eye for fashion and everything electric. Her performances are out of this world, and she's truly a talented singer with amazing vocal range and technical ability. She creates a world when she performs, full of props, blacklights, glitter latex and mesmerizing projections. Along with the beautifully unique handcrafted outfits she creates, she's truly irreplaceable and one-of-a-kind in the Boston scene.

©Photo Rich Bettencourt 2011

She made her tv debut this past year on ABC's The Voice, working under coach Adam Levigne of Maroon 5 (so dreamy). And though she sounded AMAZING, I feel like there's just something so much more special about her more intimate stage performances. It's always easier to connect with someone when you're not in a massive theater, I feel. (Though I wish her all the massive theater performances she deserves!)

Hair: Denyse Dipietro
MUA: Vanessa Bennett
© Brit Woollard Photography, all rights reserved.

Casey is really intuitive when it comes to sewing and creating her costumes. She has so many sparkly fabrics in her studio, it'd give Rainbow Brite a seizure. (And enough keyboards to hold a class!) She gave me the opportunity to be a model in her fashion for for OhDeerGod, and it was one of the most fun and empowering experiences I've had. (Thank you!)


And to top it all off, she's an artist too! Jeez! Here's a couple of pieces from the LAP Gallery's recent gallery show, Bostonia Collectives as well as her custom skull from the Ars Moriendi Project opening last week.



Check out Casey's new video for Rocket Lover and be her facebook friend! You won't regret it!



More on Casey at http://caseydesmond.com/

Etsy Showcase

I'm showcased in the Etsy Illustration section today!

Click the image for a link to the page, and CLICK HERE for my Etsy Shop page! :)



Hope your Tuesday is a good one! I'm loving this beautiful weather, though I'm not loving the 5 'o' clock sunsets! (booooo)


Two new holiday paintings to show you tomorrow!!!

Central Printing : Malden MA

Recently I've made a few big changes in my branding and the way I market myself. I've changed my logos, my postcards, stickers, products, revamped my online presence and made a point to start taking myself seriously as an independent business. I've done tons of research and created business plans to achieve goals and make sure I'm using the best, most efficient, and price-conscious vendors.

It's not easy or cheap to do this on your own! But I'd pay any price and lose sleep any night to get up those first couple of steps. I've become really complacent in working all day and coming home and working all night. I feel so productive, like I'm accomplishing something.



I've been selling work through my Etsy shop, and I've found that my customers are really gravitating toward my prints more than anything. However, I'd previously gone to Staples or Kinko's, and, like many other chains, they've stopped using small format Inkjet printers to keep cost down. (Not to mention horrible customer service at every Staples on the planet.) So I was on the hunt for someone else.

Shop front, Central Printing

I passed this place every day on my way home from work for the last year, never paying much attention other than staring deep into the gaze of feather-lady as I avoided crazy Malden drivers. It seemed to be easily overlooked. I knew that I needed a printing vendor, and why not gamble on a local company rather than an online corporation?

I checked it out today, and not only was the staff (currently on deck print specialist Eric) very polite, but he was incredibly helpful, genuine, happy to show me options and made me feel like the professional I am. We spoke the same dialogue and he showed me how they can print on plastic and every kind of card/vinyl you can think of. He even said he liked my work and that the colors would truly test the printer's capabilities.


Lo and behold, they came out AMAZING, and I'll absolutely be going back there again for business cards, postcards, banners, and whatever else I might need. The quality is unmatched from what I've seen, and it's such a comfortable environment that I can see myself in there quite often. (Plus the price is right! I paid $80 for 108 prints on 24" x 36" heavyweight matte stock, and they also have an ad for 1000 business cards starting at $99 on NICE stock.)

So thanks Central Printing in Malden! You have a new loyal customer!

Here's a link to their site!

Space 242 : Revenege of Freeky Fright Nights Review

Me in my silly Halloween costume getting interviewed for the first time ever!
And I sound like a nervous valley girl, haha

My friend Christina Lacoste from the Boston Weekly Dig wrote up a great review of this weekend's event. SO much AMAZING work, it was truly a Halloween feast for the eyes. This is my favorite time of year!

One of my professors from MassArt, Bob Maloney
with his "Cow Simmons" piece

Thanks so much for the mention, you guys!

Click here for the rest of the article!

Loooots of new swag!

Updated my etsy with TONS of new stuff :
*new paintings
*new HOLIDAY paintings
*new keychains, old keychains
*jewelry

Really stoked that I finally have everything up. Looking forward to Mass Market and getting my table and my crafting on!





Thanks for looking!

Happy Snowy Almost Halloween!

I bought this little dude at a craft fair a few weeks ago, and, while I commend the valiant attempt to capture the spirit of Halloween in the original, I had to make my own improvements.



BOO!

Two gallery openings this week!

I'm lucky to have been accepted into two different gallery shows this month, both with MANY of my favorite artists! I'm really excited to see so much new work from so many talented people.

First up :

Lincoln Arts Project & Fish McGill present A Collection of Bostonia Collectives


Lincoln Arts Project, 289 Moody St, Waltham MA

I'll be showing as part of the Paint Pens in Purses Collective, showing off two of my newest paintings : The Demonicorn and These Ghosts They Know Me


I even had a quick minute to contribute to one of my favorite collectives, Brian Butler's Ice Cream People!


Second up :

Revenge of Freeky Fright Nights! Annual Horror Ho-Down
hosted by Space 242 at the Fourth Wall Project

Space 242 was on hiatus until now for the past year, so naturally I was STOKED to see they were holding another opening. And for my favorite holiday : Halloween! I've got one of my spookiest paintings up for the show, and I'm looking forward to the opening reception!


Come out! To both! You'll love it! Can't wait!
(also free beer at both events!)