I randomly found this badass chick on Instagram and fell IN LOVE with her work. Kristen Liu is one of the most dynamic artists I’ve ever seen or met (she’s got some bomb ass weed too). Her vibrant pastels create scenes of violence, sex, and food (my favorite things). And any man who dares enter her canvas is either torn a part, strapped down and tortured, or just plain killed (perfectly illustrates female frustration with the male population). I loved her work so much that I had to drop her a line for a quick chat on her work.

MFKN: Hey Kristen! How would you describe your work in 5 words or less?

KL: Hello again! Hmm okay that’s a tough one since I suck at describing my own work but here goes: Detailed, colorful, aggressive, playful…

MFKN: Nice! And I totally agree with your descriptions! How do you begin your process when creating art?

KL: I start out by trying to get some inspiration for a new piece- I’ll look through art books, go to museums, or even just go on a walk. Once I have some idea of what I want to do, I make a rough thumbnail so I can see how things will look and then I begin the final drawing. The drawing is made on tracing paper (so I can transfer it onto a gessoed panel and keep the panel neat) and it can take me anywhere from one to three days to complete a drawing. After the drawing has been transferred I just start painting- I usually begin with the background and start working my way forward.

MFKN: Is there a theme or an underlying message to your work?

KL: It really varies from piece to piece. A lot of my work is about (female) sexuality, darker human impulses, the fear of/ the reality of death, loss, indulging yourself in your whims… I make work about whatever I’m thinking about at that moment.

MFKN: Yeah no kidding! I love it! Do you have an online store for prints or merch?

KL: I have an etsy store but last year I decided to only have it open for limited periods because dealing with merch, in addition to gallery obligations and illustration jobs just got to be too much! So it is currently closed but when I do open it I sell prints, zines, pins, stickers, etc. I also have a Society 6 page- I’m pretty bad at uploading new stuff so a lot of the prints are older works but I did recently just add some new paintings. Merch is great but it is so time consuming and involves so many tedious tasks that I really only do it when I have to make some money or when it’s been too long.

MFKN: For sure! So I’m in Socal this week! Are you free for a shoot for the feature article? It can just be you in your studio (that would be perfect). Lmk! Also… I need some shirts holy shit! XD

KL: I’ll be busy painting an 8×8 ft panel at Superchief for their upcoming show! You’re more than welcome to stop by though while I work just let me know what day you think would work for you. It’s in Downtown LA if that helps!

MFKN: Oh savage!

ANNNNND from there we end up chillin in this crazy cool artist hangout, smoking some grade A while she paints (basically me with the munchies) this AMAZING piece which is on show RIGHT MFKN NOW! Check out her artwork and promo video below!

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Little baby mural I’ll have on view for the @superchiefgalleryla 6TH ANNIVERSARY MEGA GROUP SHOW opening TONIGHT 8pm- midnight!!!💖☺️🎀💕🎉💙🎊🎈Thank you @superchiefgallery for 6 years of awesomeness, there will be so much good work on view if you’re in LA (or NY or Miami) be sure to drop by!!!😘💖💙💕#art #painting #mural #friedchicken #nomnom #superchiefgallery

A post shared by Kristen Liu-Wong (@kliuwong) on Jun 1, 2018 at 12:56pm PDT

Below is a little promo for the full length “I think we got too high” video interview I did with KL. For the FULL video just become a MFKN Patron! (THIS way you have access to all of our exclusive content).