In honor of William Burroughs Birthday I'm asking you to please support your local needle exchange.  This awesome tee is from the Washington Heights CORNER Project and a mere $20.

WILLIAM SEWARD BURROUGHS

February 5, 1914 - August 2, 1997

"When I become death, death is the seed from which I grow."

A tree forms in heaven that bares loaves and fishes.
The fish are wall-eyed pike caught in the hands of a
pure young brave from an even purer stream.
Thebread of dreams falls to the earth
in a field alive with wildflowers.
The birds are overjoyed
and now as they fly
they see another sky.
The Doctor in heaven watches over us.
The dream virus is the antidote
and the winged spread it.
Fish in the frying pan.
Whistling blue skies.
The ghost of William smiles.

Happy Birthday William.
We love you.

-Patti Smith

A box for the adored Molly Crabapple.  A Lakshmi and Fortuna infusion, featuring the Wheel of Fortune, the hand of Fatima, and the most sacred honeysuckle.  I listened to Lakshmi and Kubera prosperity chants while I mixed absinthe colored paints on my palette. The box took about 5 days to paint.  I use a series of glazes and aging techniques, so between the drying of the glazes and aging the box it does take a few days, which is torturous to an impatient person such as myself.  Those moments are best for chanting. You can purchase your own custom box right here.

This Kubera chant was really amazing to work to.  One of my favorites with it's strong beat I found myself chanting along to it.

When I started the 40 days of tarot I had a specific idea of what I wanted it to be.  I would paint furiously and finish as many cards as I could in the 40 day period.  I did not factor in that there would be commissions, tarot clients, and everyday life.  Although I'm still doing the 40 days of tarot, (day 17) I've only finished two and have the references for The Star.  I have however finished many edits on the writing and lived each of the cards as I've made them.  If anything this time has become an incredibly inspired moment in my existence.  Every day does have something to do with the tarot just not in the way that I expected. 

At that time I started painting the Empress I couldn't feel her energy.  I was still feeling the presence of an unexpected end to a friendship and hanging onto it. The only way to get out of this funk was to paint my way out.  Just as the Emperor card had come to pull me out of a funk, the Empress was here to do the same. Larisa Fuchs is an incredibly dear friend and once again I wanted to paint someone who brought me joy.She reminded me that the person was never really a good friend and that the universe had it's reasons for letting this one go.  I wasn't quite willing to accept it.  We joked a few days before I started painting the card that out of everyone she was probably the most accessible and yet the card was just coming into existence now and at such an auspicious time too.  Larisa had just rented a loft, a  dream space that had been coming up in her tarot for years.  The world you see, had given it's Empress the space to create her empire. Gemini and Scorpio finally had a home. I was happy for her, and that happiness melted away any sadness that I had within me.  To create is to heal and to heal is to live.  The Empress card is in essence that life force telling you to live, create, and thrive. 

The Empress reminds us that although we may be on the right path that things take time to truly develop properly and they cannot be rushed.  Larisa experienced it herself while looking for the loft, which was years.  Some spaces came into her life, looked like good deals, and then would fall through, the perfect space you see was just waiting.  Larisa told me that when she found the loft it wasn't even for rent.  The landlord ended up showing her the space accidentally.  The Empress is the great creator, the ultimate muse.  She inspires and infects people with her enthusiasm and drive to keep going even when things feel stagnant.  In some decks she is seen is the great mother but we are all mothers of our creative children.  Every time we paint, write, dance, we are giving birth to a creation.  The Empress is generous and devoted.  She is patient and kind but she is also master over her domain.  Try to get in her way and you will be knocked down.

Work in Progress pic.

The energy when painting this card completely shifted my viewpoint.  It made me appreciate being an artist and understand it on a whole new level.  I took a new route and reassessed what I was doing.The Empress tells you to make a plan, be patient, tend to your work and it will grow.  It takes time, understanding, and patience.  It takes knowing that the outcome will be good and trusting the universe in it's divine plan.

Sxip and I were sitting on the mattress of his East Village apartment.  He had let me play with the new set of bells he had gotten and we were discussing good covers of songs and our art. I was in red velvet coming from Gabriel's birthday dinner and he was settling in for the night after composing all evening. I remember I was on a yerba mate kick while he sipped his beer. "You're going to be up all night." He said. It was already midnight and I had just started to drink it.  I looked over at the small Eshu head on the shelf, something the tenant he was subletting had left.  This was a composers apartment.  This was the type of apartment you expect an artist to live in.  It was full of NYC charm, one brick wall, and a bathtub in the kitchen. His instruments set up on tables and various sound equipment occupied the tables.  He had set his computer on a chair as a makeshift table so we could watch our newest obsessions in music without moving. I was envious and told him so numerous times.  The night made me wish I had my film camera, so I could document these kind of moments in black and white. "These moments, moments like these are the ones we live in New York for." Sxip said and I nodded my head.

We start talking about Patti Smith and he's asking me about Just Kids.  I told him I never read it. 

"But you love Patti, I thought you did."

I shake my head. I was afraid to tell him why.  I made up a story, not sure what but I know I made up something.  The truth was, I just wasn't ready for it.  There's certain books or films that you have to prepare yourself for.  You know they are going to impact you.  You know the moment your fingers touch the page and you start to take it in that you will cry, that it will cut and bleed you.  That this is a part of you too, that it's a univeral message in a personal journal. So I lied and badly too.

But it stuck with me and I knew the time was coming. That was a few weeks ago.

A few days ago I met Laura McLaws Helms at Cafe Pick Me Up, one of my old haunts from college.  I had forgotten how good it feels to have home bases.  We had tea and read tarot, we talked fashion and business, one of those conversations that feeds you. This was the beginning of a very big shift.I came home and painted.

I told Laura before I left.  "I feel like I've lived this book and the creative passionate relationship Patti had with Robert is one I'm living right now with Shahriar.  Nothing is done until I show him."

Friday brought another reading and a night out with the amazing and wonderful Maria Headley,  Zay Amsbury, and Kat Howard.  Melissa and I headed over to the Anyway Cafe (another old haunt) for an evening of music, conversation, mulled wine, and exchanging ideas.  I like to tell people that Maria and I met after one of Sxip's shows but we fell in love over twitter, bonded at a gay bar in Chelsea, spent the night celebrating at the bar at Sleep No More, and fell asleep holding hands.  She is an amazing friend indeed.  Maria also gave me an amazing present of Dolce & Gabbana which I will be photographing very soon.  There's something really wonderful that happens when you get a group of people together that instantly get along.  It's good to be creative in the city.  We live joyful passionate lives.  Late night a cover band took the floor as a woman named Rita celebrated her birthday.  Rita got up and danced, more joined and soon everyone was up and dancing.  Maria and I held each other and laughed.  You can usually find Maria and I with our heads held back in laughter.

There's Maria giving me a kiss.  As you can see I'm blissed out by it.

Saturday brought rehearsal for Speakeasy Dollhouse and the return of the Swimming Cities crew.  Orien and Angie invited me and a few other people over to his Mom's place to celebrate. Being back at Val's brought great comfort to my heart.  Orien was one of the first people I met when I moved to New York and that apartment has always felt like a second home.  Angie and Orien showered me with gifts and hugs.  It was good to be back with them.

I really like ferrets.

Me and Angie.

Orien and I wearing matching noserings.

Zack Tucker.

Val and I love each other.

Mark Krawczuk.

Me and Val again.

Orien and his dad Malcolm.

My favorite apartment in the world.

Later I met up with Mani and Jason Price to celebrate Jason's birthday.  We ate delicious Chinese food and ate incredibly yummy cupcakes (okay I had flourless chocolate cake) at Magnolia bakery.  I came home and started to write.

Sunday brought a full day of art modeling.  I hadn't modeled in a while so I forgot what it felt like to stay still for so long.  But I felt grateful because the life I live is pleasing.  I enjoy every moment of it and it nourishes me to no end.  We create our lives as we live them and it's up to us to decide how we live them.  There are no barriers if you tear them all down.  I thought about Patti and Mapplethorpe and how they lived to create.  I thought about why I moved to New York and how my life mimicked theirs in certain ways without even knowing.  Things are changing, shifting.

Tonight I sat in the same cafe Laura and I sat in sipping lattes with Anya Kless and discussing spirituality, art, and life in general.  I feel blessed to live this life in this time and space.  I feel blessed to be living in NYC.

Photo by Mark Krawczuk

I had so much fun creating Balthazar's box of secrets I've decided to open it up to you.  Allow me to create your own custom box of secrets, or trinkets, or whatever your heart desires.  Once you decide on a size pop me an email telling me what you like and I will design up a custom box just for you.  Tell me what colors, flowers, lingerie, animals, etc. If you'd like me to surprise you, do the same with the header "Surprise me" and I well send you a digital sketch. katelanfoisy@gmail.com

Box sizes and prices are as follows. I do offer payment plans as well, so if you have something in mind but can't afford all of it, please drop me a line and I'll be happy to work with you.

*Note: Box pictured above is NOT the one you will receive.  This was a custom box.  Yours will be specifically designed for you.

I'll even throw in a few secrets of my own.

Square Boxes:

6.25 x 6.25 x 3.25

7.5 x 7.5 x 4

Square Boxes

6.25 Square $350.00 USD 7.5 Square $400.00 USD

Rectangular Boxes:

8.25 x 6 x 1.5

12 x 8.5 x 3.25

13 x 10 x 3

Rectangular Box of Secrets

8.25 Rectangle $450.00 USD 12 Rectangular $600.00 USD 13 Rectangular $700.00 USD

All photos by Balthazar

At the time I was plotting The Tower an idea was formulating, a little spark was tapping me on the head and whispering into my ear.  "How about Neil for the Hanged Man?" Sxip, my Magician of course heard the call of the tarot and sent me a message. 

When I told him I was thinking of Neil as The Hanged Man he said, "You always make such interesting choices. They all make absolute sense but they are not typical." We discussed The Hanged Man and it's many meanings.  For him it is about "Letting yourself absolutely accept the wisdom to come, even it hard information. It's about giving yourself to the reality of a situation to learn from it. It's about humbling oneself for the sake of knowledge."

I remember the first time I read American God's and feeling like Neil really got Odin, Loki, and the rest of the God's he wrote about.  He may not be spiritually connected to them but he understood them by tapping into a part of his brain that was or at least the archetypes. Part of The Hanged Man's meaning is Odin's sacrifice of himself for knowledge on the World Tree.  For nine days he hung, no food or water, wounded by a spear.  On the ninth day he looked down, saw runes that had fallen from the tree and understood them.  He came down from the tree and picked them up for his own.  Any knowledge needed can be found in these runes.

A few days ago I started another 40 days.  This time instead of going mad, I decided to focus solely on the tarot, it's insights, and paint the cards of the major arcana. Sxip once noticed that I lived each card as I painted them.  This one was no different.  I started the sketch on Sunday and began to work on the card, struggling a bit in the midst of thoughts and procrastination.  For the past few weeks I had gone inward and was seeing the most beautiful aspects of love, life, work, and the muses.  Day 4, the day I finished the card would be my eye opener. When you are in the midst of spiritual bliss nothing seems important, you're open, the past doesn't matter, you're here, it's now, money is just metal and the heart wants to be full.  And then you come down, back into the mundane world, back into reality. 

The night before someone I once cared about very deeply turned their back on me. It was someone that inspired a lot of the deck and it saddened me to see it end this way.  I carried it with me the next morning when once again I awoke to more news about another person, not news that I was necessarily shocked by, but news I wasn't quite ready to hear.  And so began my spiral into reality and delusion. They are quite connected you know.

I cried.  I pushed people away.  I didn't want to connect.  I buried myself in work so I didn't have to think.  I thought about other aspects of this card. "The Traitor." Was this man a traitor? Years ago they would hang them upside down by one foot as punishment. I instantaneously pushed that thought aside looking at Neil's face.  The card I painted was not a traitor and I wasn't sure that my former lover was either.  Only that he had to protect himself and that he thought of me as a temptation.  I was in limbo. I had forgotten The Hanged Man was not about life or death but suspension until the time is right, sacrificing of old ways to let new ones in, and uncovering the reality so that acceptance can happen. Something had just ended but what was to take it's place had not begun yet.  It was in the works and for now I must wait.

I took this photo of what it felt like, kind of like being in a fairytale and not quite knowing who to trust even though you know the ending.

Neptune is the ruler of this card. Neptune is spirituality, dreams and psychic abilities.  The Hanged Man has allowed himself to be taken over by all of these things, in order to receive his insight. He waits with open arms to be born into consciousness and receive the information that is to come.  He knows the knowledge will take him to where he needs to be and by sacrificing himself he will gain much more than ever expected, but sacrifice hurts and in order to receive we must let go.

This is a time when emotions run high, when insights are deep, and you dangle in the realm of fairytale.  It is  also card that suggest at this time being a little daring, trying new things, and letting go a little.  These are moments that won't last forever but they are moments worth listening to.

And of course a huge thank you as always to Jim Shirey who has allowed me to use his gorgeous photos.  The background on these two is straight from Jim himself.

The partridge berry blossoms come two to an ovary. thus, the two small ones are connected to a single berry and leave a double seed scar. They ripen in the winter into a small red berry the size of a small pea. The rattlesnake plantain is named after the appearance of its leaves, which resemble a snake skin. The flower spike produces a profusion to tiny flowers about 1/8 inch across. when i took this shot I was competing with a bumble bee who had her next under one of the leaves. She was very patient at first, but became quite cross when I wanted to do a re-shoot. She zapped me on the arm. Just a bit to let me know my time was up.

 

A long long time ago in land far far away a photographer named Balthazar used his magical texting machine to send a secret message to the Mistress of Magic.  It simply said, "I need a box for my secrets." And so began the search for a perfect little box to hold all the sexiest most bewitching of secrets.

I told Balthazar I had found the perfect box and then I stopped communicating.  You see I couldn't do that with anyone else but him.  I knew he would understand that a secret box would need a secret sketch.  And only once the first figure went down could I show him what the box contained.  One fine morning he awoke to this:

"Here is a snippet." I wrote.

And just a week or two later he received this:

From there the work went fast and I knew the time was near for our box to be tucked away safely and shipped.  I added a special little piece and wrote Balthazar a note. 

On the top of the box, a very special key.  I will not tell you the secret behind the key.  And I filled the box with little things, special mementos.

Won't you send some secrets of your own?

Balthazar 

P.O. Box 376
Madison, WI 53701-0376

All photos by Balthazar except for works in progress.

Yes I am at it again.  I love Project 40 and decided to do yet another 40 days.  This time I'll be spending my days on the tarot.  So for 40 days I will be documenting my tarot process right on these pages. 

Day 1-3: I made the decision to work solely on the tarot Saturday night.  Zodiac Dance was Sunday and Sherene and I had a writing date that evening at the Ace Hotel.  It seemed like a good time and so as Sunday rolled around I snapped a few shots to show what kind of headspace I was in as well as my surrounds.  I feel it's important for an artist to document their various spaces where they create.  I also started working on the sketch for the Hanged Man.  Sherene and I got a bunch of writing done, almost all of the introduction.  The proposal will be in the agents hands by the end of the month.  The actual painting of the Hanged Man begsan on day 2 and continued onto day 3.  We just hit day 4 and I'm still painting and blogging.

The photo up top is me in my bedroom aka my workspace.

Pre tarot dancing.

Working on the computer sketch.  I like to do computer sketches so I can everything down including the colors before I start.

The Hanged Man in progress.  Neil makes a great Hanged Man.

Sherene and I at Cafe Cluny.

And again at Ace Hotel after writing.

Also I'm thinking of painting a ouija board? What do you think?

Happy 2012!  With just one day under it's belt 2012 has already begun to be awesome.  I divided my time between two parties, one a small gathering of uber talented people in a midtown flat and the other an all girl party at Molly Crabapple's filled with smart, talented, gorgeous women who I am so honored to call friends.  We toasted with champagne at midnight as Occupy Wall Street marched down the street below. History in the making.  We all sat around glasses half full with our tallest high heels talking about what we wanted to accomplish in the next year.  While 2011 was a lot about self reflection, friendships, and figuring out what I really wanted 2012 seems to be about taking it to the next level and just going for it.  No fear in 2012.  We let go of so much in 2011, take it in in 2012.

I figured this year I would publicly share my resolutions.  

1. Take my career to the next level.  What does this mean? Well, more press, more shows, not holding back when I want to do a huge project and not limiting myself.  I have a lot of good ideas, they just need to be put out there.  Applying for grants, selling prints, being more active on social networks, and producing as much work as humanly possible.

2. While I intend to be more active on social networks, this does not mean refreshing twitter 20 times a day.  After assessing my time management I realized a lot of the day gets lost in the internets and not all in research.  So limiting my time refreshing and checking email is pertinent to my productivity.

3. Getting out of debt.  Yep, part of taking my career to the next level is getting out of debt.  I went to art school for 4 years at $30,000 a year, sure I had scholarships and grants but I also had massive loans.  It adds up over the years.  Time to kick that debt goodbye and become that financially stable maven I always wanted to be.

4. Getting an office.  And by getting an office I mean setting up in a cafe for a few hours to write.  It's great to work from home but also there are many distractions there.  So when I'm writing I'm going to set up shop somewhere other than the bed or couch.  Plus a nice steaming cup of coffee or tea will totally get me moving in the right direction.

5. Making a wishlist of people I want to work with and sticking to it.  So many photographers and dream publications, companies to contact.

6. Paid to travel.  This is one I have no idea how to do but I'm going for it. 

7. On a health note releasing the idea that I have to lose weight and get toned instead. Also drink more water.

8. Projects I plan on finishing: The tarot, self promotion book, series of stories based on dresses, possibly an attempt at a comic.  

Sticking to your resolutions can be complicated if you don't know where to start.  Here's a few tips.

1. Don't go crazy with the resolutions.  Pick a few things you know you can keep.  You can add more as you go along.

2. Get a planner or use the calendar in your phone.  Get organized.  The more you are aware of what's going on, where you have to be, and what you have to do the more you can accomplish.  Plus you won't feel like you are always trying to remember what you are doing.

3. Eliminate unnecessary feeds, twitter follows, emails, and facebook friends.  I seriously just deleted 4,000 + emails.  Feels good.  I'll also be trimming down my twitter feed.

4. Clean out your purse or wallet, put last years receipts in a folder and get a fresh new start.

5. Day by day is the way to do it.  Don't try to cram everything you want into one day.  Make a schedule and take small steps to achieve your goals.  For example, you want to have your art featured in certain publications.  Take time everyday to either search appropriate publications or contact them.  Just one or two a day adds up over a year.  Baby steps, baby steps.

6. Eat better.  The best way to make sure you are getting things done is to make sure your body is getting properly fed.  I started doing this in 2011 and have been reaping the benefits ever since.  Exercise + healthy food is a win/win situation.

7. Clean your house and create a place for everything in it.  You'll feel better and your mind will feel less scattered.

8. Make a list of your resolutions and keep it either in a journal that you use often or post it up where you can see it. That way you can check things off as you achieve them.  Remember to simplify.

9. Think about yourself as a whole.  Does everything you do come together? If there's anything that doesn't quite fit in with the bigger picture get rid of it.  You can always go back later. Remember one day at a time. 

10. Be proactive. It's easy to get lazy or have our doubts take over.  Keep focussed and carry on every day.  Somedays will be more productive than other but keep open and you'll see it all start to come together.

It's been one hell of a busy year for La Gitana.  The tarot deck got a running start and 2012 will be all about finishing and publishing the deck.  Many thanks to Jim Shirey for allowing me usage of his gorgeous flower photographs.  

Thank you Holly Golinski, Sxip Shirey, Feloche, Peter Mahoney, Orien McNeill, Jill Tracy, Molly Crabapple, Sherene Schostak, Gabby Young, Josh Spear, Lenora Claire, Warren Ellis, Baby Dee, Shannon Moran and Jon Lane, Nicole Fiorentino, and Amanda Palmer.

Ghostlight Project - Film Fragment #30 from Jim Batt on Vimeo.

 The beginning of the year was spent making secret film fragments with Jim Batt while he was in town.  I had the pleasure of hosting him and Kim Boekbinder for a few days.  

Wes Freed did the amazing poster of me for the Drive by Truckers record release show at Bowery Ballroom.  It was all about red go go boots and Valentines Day.  I am very honored to be painted by the honorable Mr. Freed and have been a longtime fan. The Drive by Truckers were absolutely amazing and the album is great.  Kate Black was my partner in crime for the DBT shows. Thank you to Wes and Patterson for treating us so well.

Lonesome Liz came to visit me.  During that time we had a helluva time going to shows around the city including Hubert Sumlin and Brian Mitchell.  Kate Black took this of us at the Chelsea Hotel.

Taking it all in at Hubert Sumlin.

I made digital collages for the Once Upon a Time in a Gallery show in Oxford, had two of my Pornsaints pieces in the Erotic Museum in Amsterdam, did an artist piece for Bushwick Open Studios, was on the cover of Dan Holloway's Ode to Jouissance, and had my work and writing showcased in underground pirate internet called Notwork.

I shot with the lovely Fairytale Vegas.

The incredible Beth Hommel

Collaborated with the talented Emily Poole and my partner in art Mike Lala

Another collaboration with the irrististable Veronika von Volkova and my brotherlover Shahriar Shadab.

And a shoot years in the making with the extraordinary Steve Prue.  So honored to be one of his rockstars.

I got to pay homage to one of my favorite people in the world in Captured Ghosts, Mr. Warren Ellis.

I worked with one of my favorite friends Gabby Young on her cd cover for the Song for Japan single.

And with two other of my favorite people Maria Alexander and Jill Tracy on At Louche Ends.

Molly Crabapple drew me for her 66 Project.  I also had the honor of visiting her while she did her penance in Week in Hell.

Of course there were the other events too.  I played Lucrezia in Cynthia von Buhler's Speakeasy Dollhouse, attended the Coilhouse Black & White & Red All Over Ball, read tarot at Escape to NY, created work for Gemini & Scorpio events, Visionary Tattoo fest, modeled for Sweet Gwendoline clothing, visited Molly Crabapple in her Week in Hell, saw Murder by Death, The Drive by Truckers, Kim Boekbinder, Sxip Shirey and all sorts of brilliant talent in action, Literary Death Match, Project 40, naked girl parties with the best of friends, Beneath the Half Moon, witchy nights, Comic News Insider party, and toasted to Bored to Death at Brooklyn Inn.  I also guest hosted a few events and curated a meeting of the minds at Science House.

It was also the year of press.  I was featured in Time Out NY, GQ Italia, Bushwick Daily, Fixe Magazine, Chinashop Magazine, and Eight Cuts as well as writing guest blogs for warrenellis.com and forbookssake.com.  

I also started and finished Dangerous Combinations, 40 days of letting the muses in and letting them take me wherever I needed to go.  My 40 days of madness.

And of course none of this would have happened if it weren't for the Amy Winehouse and Burrough's pieces.

Happy New Year.  I hope it brings you much inspiration and many blessings.