Red Cat

I know what you are thinking. You’re thinking, “Hey, that’s a cool dog, but I’m more of a cat person.” For all the cat lovers out there, here is the latest addition. This red cat is debossed with an intricate Victorian pattern and then painted with acrylics. This pattern was a killed textile at Junior Drake, and I’m glad I could revive it. The laser cutter almost gave out on me rasterizing it! There are two hooks on the back so the cut out is ready to hang, or can be propped against any surface. She will be sitting patiently for you when you come home.

Blurring the Lines

As I was cutting out the shape of Idgie, the helper at the model shop asked if that was a fox or a dog, to which I replied she’s a dog that looks like a fox. A foxy dog. Or maybe just a dog that was once a fox in another life. Which got me thinking of different distinctions. Someone once asked me if my work is fine art or illustration? My ambiguous response, “My work is illustrative with a story-telling element to it, and I want it to be one of a kind. I’ve done work for galleries and Wal-Mart, so I can’t really say.” I went home in a daze, this question still haunting me today. And then there’s Katherine Wang, who blurs these labels so well. She’s written for a magazine as an editor, designed web pages for her parent’s furniture store, works in marketing for electrical cars, and wants to pursue a PHD in English. Oh, and then she makes these really awesome vintage headbands, that are both glam and accessible. Let’s all feel inadequate now.

It’s true, labels help us market our work, define the people in our lives, and give us sense to this chaotic world. But can’t we be multiple things without realizing the term for it, say a fine artist and commercial designer, an academic and a fashionista? Should work have to be so specialized? Does life have to be categorized? Maybe Meredith Brooks said it best in the 90s; maybe we are both a bitch and a lover, all rolled into one.

For your classification, Idgie is a Shiba Inu breed. Get your foxy dog large, small or as a magnet.

This is the pet of my friend Tien, also a multi-tasker. She is a lawyer and writes about happenings in Los Angeles on Metroblog. Visit her award winning fan site of Jane Lynch!

New stuff

Photo shoots are tough. You have to deal with drama queens, long hours and technical difficulties. I'm only half-joking (we're not exactly a large operation). But it's kind of still true. Except for the drama queen part. All of my models have been pretty awesome.

The good news is I'm learning a lot the second time around and I've gotten a little better at directing my divalicious models. They've been great so far and the photos are coming out gorgeous.

Look forward to some new merch!

Mutability

I went on my way, in the midst of the world's transformations, being transformed myself. Every now and then, among the many forms of living beings, I encountered one who "was somebody" more than I was: one who announced the future...or I might encounter another who bore witness to a past beyond all return... They all had something, I know, that made them somehow superior to me, sublime, something that made me, compared to them, mediocre. And yet I wouldn't have traded places with any of them.
--Qfwfq in Italo Calvino's, "The Aquatic Uncle," Cosmicomics

This GlamKat's goal: To not be dictated by the desire simply to be great but to embody the spirit that is change (even if it means existing in that uncomfortable state of limbo) and be elevated for that. If there's one thing you that is predictable about the Katherines is that we'll always be a little different. And we welcome folks in all shapes and sizes, sans fins or scales (like Qfwfq our amphibious hero).

Now Open

Mullet Days

A couple of months back, I sported a mullet. I didn’t do this as a social experiment or because I thought it was cool, but by accident. My lovely long locks seemed to get in the way and I needed a change, so I asked the hairdresser to give me thin layers, thicker on the top and thinner on the bottom, which I realized later to my dismay was the definition of a mullet. The first week I tried my best to deal with it, thinking to myself that it wasn't so bad; I've now become an edgy and tough chick. Some days I felt like I could rock the mullet, but most days I questioned myself – Who do I think I am? I am certainly not Joan Jett. I tied my hair back for most of the month and then gave in, settling on a short bob that I am now happy with. Here’s to Mullet Days – managing days of insecurity and owning up to your mistakes.

Mullet Days is available under the store. Prints and possibly tees to come. But for now get the original.

xoxo K Chiu

Behind the scenes

The day started out wet and gloomy but the sun came out just in time for us to take pictures of the new merchandise. As the Katherines ran around helter-skelter, in contrast our model Dany was ultra-professional, even putting us in our places ("Direct me!" she demanded of us on several occasions.) The process took longer than I would have ever anticipated (over four hours). As a budding photographer I had no idea what to expect until I uploaded those images up onto Adobe Lightroom that night. My prior experience has been with furniture and the feedback I get from them has been mostly non-existent (there were artistic differences but we parted ways amicably). But with the help of Katherine Chiu as my fellow art director we were able to work through some aesthetic issues and sporadic weather and lighting.

There were some felicitous moments. For instance, we found a delightful red junk bucket outside of Dany's apartment that would prove to be one of the best props for the day's shoot. Some of our more brilliant and terrible artistic directions of the day were, "Stand by the car and pretend like you are waiting for someone," or "Channel more Urban Outfitters," or "How can we think more like a hipster," and finally the frequent, "oh, that's so Etsy."


Kat Chiu, holding down the fort


Pretending to be waiting for someone FAIL


Forcing Dany to break into a stranger's car


Channeling inner hipster


Calling for more Urban Outfitters




In addition to her part-time modeling career, Dany is also a wonderful artist. Check out her work at www.danydesign.net