The Idle Class - The Image Issue

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THE IDLE CLASS

THE IMAGE ISSUE

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1001 Wright Avenue Little Rock, AR 501.372.6822

HearneFineArt.com

Director: Garbo Hearne

ALICE AIDA AYERS

"A SHARED VOCABULARY"

April 18, 2024 - JUNE 8, 2024

Hand Stitched Mixed Media Textile Fabric, Embroidery, Applique & Beading

MEET ALICE AIDA AYERS

ARTIST RECEPTION

Friday, April 26, 2024 5:00 pm - 8 :00 pm

ARTIST TALK

Saturday, April 27, 2024 2:00 pm

VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING

IN CONVERSATION with ALICE AIDA AYERS

Sunday, June 2, 2024 2:00 pm CST

https://tinyurl.com/AyersHFFAAT6224

“I'M WEARING MY READING SHOES” (36”x45”)

Representing Local, Regional, National & International Artists of the African Diaspora

Little Rock, Arkansas 1501 South Main Street, Suite H 501.454.6969

Representing fine local, national and international artists for the established and emerging collector.

www.boswellmourot.com

2 idleclassmag.com Featuring the work of BRAD CUSHMAN
A RIGHT: Ms. embroidery, Talley Delta Merritt Additional LLP of syndrome
by Alice Aida Ayers
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A legacy exhibition reimagined

OPENS JUNE 28

. 501 East Ninth Street, Little Rock, Arkansas 72202 arkmfa.org / Open Tuesday to Sunday / 501.372.4000 Admission is always free. Open Tuesday to Sunday
RIGHT: Letitia Huckaby, (Augsburg, Germany), 1972 - , Ms. Woods (detail), 2022, pigment print on fabric with embroidery, 71 x 41 x 1 7/8 in., Courtesy of the artist and Talley Dunn Gallery Delta Triennial is presented by Anne and Merritt Dyke.
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Additional support is provided by Friday, Eldredge & Clark, LLP and the Andre Simon Memorial Trust Fund in memory of everyone who has died of acquired immune defi ciency syndrome (AIDS).

EDITOR’S NOTE

Dear Reader,

In this issue, we explore fashion, hair, photography, special effects, tattooing, visual artistry, music and performance art from creators across Arkansas.

Fashion isn’t just about what we wear; it’s a statement, a reflection of our personalities and aspirations. Seven fashion designers share their work, with beautiful pieces ranging from chic to creepy, and hair becomes a canvas for self-expression.

Photography freezes moments in time, capturing the beauty, complexity and emotion of the world around and within us. Here, Natalie Zeta showcases her work in a stunning photo essay.

Special effects, whether in social media lookalike gags, macabre movie makeup or real-life transformations, blur the line between fantasy and reality.

Tattooing is a form of personal storytelling, with each tattoo symbolizing a chapter of our lives, our beliefs and our passions. The Idle Class writer Annika Warrick documents their

personal experience with Cabot tattoo artist Lee Dandy. Visual artists like Lily Hollinden find inspiration in the most unexpected places, expressing themselves through unconventional mediums and subjects. In Hollinden’s case, it’s clowns.

Music is the soundtrack of our lives, with bands like Modeling infusing their music with energy, passion and nostalgia. And then there’s the world of performance art, where queens like Cori Keller and Vienna Sue Sage delight with their larger-than-life personas and fearless self-expression.

In this issue, explore a world where every image tells a story, and every story shapes a reality.

Warmly,

4 idleclassmag.com Book your personalized photo session now for $250! Get 15 stunning files, including 2 unique black background head shots. Text to reserve your spot now! KATWILSONARTIST.COM 501.951.4151
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Photo by David Yerby

TABLE of CONTENTS

MUSIC - 8

Visual Harmonies: Modeling’s journey through music + media

ART - 10-11

Send in the Clowns: Lily Holliden’s bold artistry of humor, irony + identity

IMAGE - 15

Neo Boudoir: Anjuli Symone captures her artistic soul as a self-portrait photographer

IMAGE - 20

Underwater Dreams: Chermilla Henthorne brings the magic of mermaids to life

IMAGE - 25

Beauty, Wisdom + Grounded Grace: Miss Arkansas Cori Keller on how to look flawless

IMAGE - 26-27

How to Slay a Queen: Vienna Su Sage shares her drag secrets

IMAGE - 28-30

Zeta’s World: A photo essay by Natalie Zeta

CONTRIBUTORS

THE IMAGE ISSUE

Publisher

Kody Ford

Editor-in-Chief

Cassidy Kendall

Assistant Editor

Jenny Vos

Contributors

Lyndsey Cooper

Sheila Curtis

Jake Davis

Nikon Don

Rachel Farhat

Lauren Ganim

Ashley Greer

Meredith Mashburn

Dazz Murry

Sophia Ordaz

Annika Warrick

David Yerby

Brian Young

Natalie Zeta

Cover

Lily Hollinden

Design

Kody Ford

Cathleen Brignac

idleclassmag.com 5
Your gently-used bookstore featuring vintage, modern and classic reads! On the Berryville square It’s A Mystery BookStore Find us on Facebook Located in Berryville, AR
Contact Us editorial@idleclassmag.com advertising@idleclassmag.com Social Media Instagram.com/theidleclass Facebook.com/theidleclass Online IdleClassMag.com Back Issues Issuu.com/theidleclass IC Image Issue 2024.indd 5 4/17/24 1:48 PM

FAYETTEVILLE

Valley Inn - 10th Anniversary Screening

Friday, June 7, 2024 Walker Park

arkansascinemasociety.org

Valley Inn helped kick off the film scene in Northwest Arkansas. Directed by Kim Swink & Chris Spencer and produced by Rockhill Studios, this coming-of-age tale is the story of a college girl who loses herself and the small, Southern town who finds her. It stars Joey Lauren Adams, David Lansbury and Natalie Canerday and features cameos by Oscar winner Mary Steenburgen and American Idol Winner Kris Allen. The film had many local actors including Jordan Scott and Colley Bailey. It was shot in Hindsville

at the former Valley Inn Cafe and other locations in NWA.

This special screening is sponsored by the Arkansas Cinema Society and the City of Fayetteville Arts + Culture Division.

EVENTS STATE

around the

LITTLE ROCK

The Delta Triennial June 28 - August 25, 2024

Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts amfa.org

AMFA’s Delta Triennial will be on view from June 28 to August 25, 2024. For more than 60 years, the Delta exhibition has elevated and promoted awareness of artists born in or working in Arkansas and its surrounding states: Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas.

Founded by AMFA in 1958 as a juried exhibition, the Delta is named after the fertile floodplains surrounding the Mississippi River and seeks to amplify artistic voices in the Mid-South as they reflect complex histories and shifts in the cultural landscape. Since establishing the Delta exhibition, AMFA has consistently collected art produced by artists from the Mid-South and displayed it in context with our nationally and internationally recognized collection. In so doing, AMFA elevates awareness of the artistic diversity of the region and illustrates that American art is not monolithic but comprised of many voices.

In recent years, the Delta exhibition has evolved from its original format as an annual juried exhibition into a collaborative series, Delta Voices: Artists of the Mid-South—developed in partnership with AMFA and museums throughout the region.

Beginning in 2024, the first Delta Triennial will be held at the new AMFA, bringing new artists and voices to advance the rich legacy of art making in the Mid-South region. Additionally, the exhibition will feature one invited artist from each of the participating states, as well as artwork submitted for juror consideration.

PINE BLUFF

Quotidian Moments Through Different Lenses

Through June 29, 2024

The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas asc701.org

A joint exhibition by Magnolia-based artists and Southern Arkansas University art faculty members, Quotidian Moments Through Different Lenses provides viewers a glimpse into how the powers of observation, and creativity combined with the willingness to explore them can lead to important discoveries about oneself and those that surround them. The exhibition demonstrates how artwork inspired by the same objects can be interpreted very differently.

Untitled,

The beginnings of Quotidian Moments were born from the scenic walks artists Anna Zusman and Rhaelene Lowther took together during the pandemic. Their backgrounds as visual artists worked to enhance what they were able to observe while together during these moments which sparked a series of collaborative artworks.

Throughout the collaboration, they discovered that they responded most to transformation which then directed their focus on subject matters that dealt in some way to that. Seasons, lighting, weather, and lifecycles became the catalysts for concepts that would then emerge into a series of paintings and prints that explored those concepts further.

‍Quotidian Moments Through Different Lenses provides viewers a glimpse into how the powers of observation, and creativity combined with the willingness to explore them can lead to important discoveries about oneself and those that surround them. Rhaelene and Anna hope that their very different artwork based on the same inspirations will encourage viewers to try their hand at interpreting artistically what they see in their own way.

watercolor and thread on paper, 2022, by Rhaelene Lowther “What the Elk Could Not Foresee, “ organza, silk, linen, ribbon, metallic fringe, thread, embroidery thread, metal tabs, handmade paper, ink, and photo transfer, 2022, by Anita Fields (née Luttrell)
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35 years of supporting women in the arts in Arkansas

ACNMWA is devoted exclusively to the accomplishments of Arkansas women artists and sharing the groundbreaking work of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, located in Washington, D.C.

WELCOME TO ACNMWA ADVOCATING FOR WOMEN IN THE ARTS
acnmwa.org “Caravan” 70” X 160” / Charcoal over acrylic ground on canvas Support provided in part by Ark. Humanities Council, Nat’l Endowment for the Humanities, Explore Pine Bluff, and ASC Endowment Fund The Arts & Science Center 701 S. MAIN ST., PINE BLUFF 870.536.3375 artx3.org See the stunning, internationally touring series of 13 murals that explore critical issues facing the planet. Through Aug. 16, 2024. idleclassmag.coM 7 IC Image Issue 2024.indd 7 4/17/24 1:48 PM
Aimée Papazian, Which End Is Up New Worlds: Women to Watch 2024, NMWA

Visual Harmonies

Modeling, a Fayetteville-based indie art rock band founded by brothers Connor, Ryan, and Cuinn Brogan, concerns itself with two perennial themes: time and self.

The band’s name was born of their fascination with motion. “Modeling” doesn’t refer to a runway catwalk but to a poem by introspective French author Michel Houellebecq.

“One of his poems talks about how people model themselves after materialistic stuff. I liked how he used the word ‘model’ in that. I like that it feels like it’s moving. I like the idea that we can change ourselves,” explains Connor.

Some of the band’s greatest sources of inspiration are visual art and movies, and their music is often paired with visuals. Connor cites photography as inspiration for the tonal palette of their last album, Somewhere Before.

Modeling’s journey through music + media.

WORDS / RACHEL FARHAT

PHOTO / CONNOR BROGAN

“There’s this scene in Phantom Thread by Paul Thomas Anderson where the main characters go to this ball. … I wanted to know if I could write something that was as captivating as the scene in that movie,” Connor says. “I like to write music to scenes that move me. I think that comes from seeing movies with our parents and building a relationship to movies that way.”

“Our last record started with some photographs that I saw on Tumblr,” Connor says. “They feel grounded but fictional. They’re these urban settings at nighttime, and there’s something familiar and unfamiliar about that at the same time. That’s what that album is centered around — places that feel familiar, but still strange.”

Eighties science fiction films that the Brogans enjoyed as a family also played a role in the development of the band’s music, and films continue to provide a source of inspiration.

Nostalgia for their shared childhoods is a clear unifying force among the three band members. Alongside beautifully framed shots under analog grain filters, many of the images accompanying Modeling’s music are unembellished portrayals of life with loved ones. Their slice-of-life music videos linger on scenes that most filmmakers might glance over: two brothers pulling groceries from the trunk of a car, a romp in the yard with the family dog, the sunlit profile of a loved one.

Modeling is currently working on four new songs.

“We’re taking it a different direction. We get bored and we’re very aware if we’re doing something we’ve done before,” Connor says. “We don’t like to stay in the same place for too long.”

Find Modeling and their music on all streaming platforms.

IG: @MODELINGMUSIC

YouTube: @MODELING

8 idleclassmag.com music
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MOVIE MAGIC

NWA’s Mutiny FX creates digital FX for the top names in entertainment.

WORDS + PHOTO / KODY FORD

Since Hollywood’s silent, black-and-white beginnings, visual effects have transported audiences to other worlds. Early on, directors relied on filters, perspective tricks, and matte painting on glass to bring the movie magic to life. While practical visual effects advanced over the ensuing decades, so did computer-generated digital effects. Filmmaker James Cameron ushered in the era of this new technology with classics like The Abyss. For many years, the work of producing digital effects was only handled by large effects houses in Hollywood and other major areas. Due to advances in technology, however, a new generation of effects houses have popped up in smaller cities across the country. At Mutiny FX in Bentonville, Dustin Solomon and his team are creating effects for companies such as Netflix and Disney+.

“Mutiny FX is a bit of a boutique visual effects company — we're pretty small,” Solomon said. “We operate with four full time staff, and we have a network of freelancers that we use. We really specialize in providing the more tangible meat-and-potatoes visual effects work that needs to be in just about every film that hits the screen these days.”

Solomon began his career in advertising, and worked with a company called Live Light where he integrated basic visual effects into commercials. Later, he worked for Rockfish Interactive to help them integrate interactive 3D graphics into their websites. But when his childhood pastor called with an opportunity to work on his film, Return to the Hiding Place, Solomon dropped everything and dove into the world of filmmaking.

The independent production lasted a year and a half and served Solomon as a makeshift film school. He worked in props and practical effects, where he

became a jack-of-all-trades. Once the production wrapped, Solomon had to decide whether to return to his old life or make a new one. After years of working in marketing, Solomon called it quits and launched Mutiny FX.

Being based in the Ozarks, Solomon had to rely on networking and word-of-mouth to bring in business. Mutiny FX got their first gig working on a children’s film through connections Solomon had made working on Return to the Hiding Place. While it was tempting to return to more reliable and lucrative work in advertising, Solomon stayed focused on films and episodic work for television, and over the course of seven years went from working on $100,000 indie films to multimillion-dollar projects for Universal and Disney. Since then they have worked on everything from bringing fantasy worlds to life to removing boom mics from shots to erasing accidental nudity in romance films.

For filmmakers, Solomon suggests thinking about visual effects from the inception of a production. Set aside funds in the budget. Be prepared for certain shots that will need visual effects work that might not come to mind initially, such as shooting smartphone screens. Oftentimes, visual effects are more about polishing a shot than creating epic set pieces.

For people interested in following his path into the world of digital effects, Solomon says the industry is shifting because of real time rendering by Unreal Engine and shooting on StageCraft’s soundstage, The Volume, which is used on shows like The Mandalorian He said, “You really got to be looking into the real-time render engines, all the things that AI is going to be able to do as far as generating creative content for the backgrounds, cleaning up the footage. So I think there's that path. If you are looking 20 years down the road careerwise, be focused over there.”

film
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SEND IN THE CLOWNS

Lily Hollinden’s bold artistry of humor, irony + identify. WORDS / BRIAN YOUNG

In the age of social activism and identity politics, artist Lily Hollinden brings humor, irony, low-brow subjects and high-key color to her work. During an interview, Hollinden explained part of the impetus for her current approach to her art and its aesthetics. She shared one professor’s advice that, in order to escape a creative rut, she should “do a painting that would get you fired from your dream job.” This led directly to Hollinden’s 2022 painting, “Don’t Rain On My Parade!.”

Against a background of riotous circus colors and black raindrops, “Don’t Rain On My Parade!” depicts a clown whose scalp has been carefully removed to reveal, at the center of their brain, a vulva giving birth to a school of clownfish. The clown’s brain has been pierced by a knife, a sword, flags, pins, and two notes: one bearing a message of encouragement, the other a to-do list. The clown is crying blue tears and holding their hand in the shape of a gun to their temple. From the other side of their head, a flag reading “BANG!” emerges in a shower of candy-colored gore.

“The use of clowns in my studio practice,” Hollinden says on her website, “stems from my curiosity [about] humor as a uniquely human social tool. I am curious about mankind’s use of comedy, irony, and sarcasm as a means of communication, particularly in expressing truth. There is a complicated relationship between comedy and authenticity; sarcasm and irony have the

ability to literally speak a lie, yet communicate a truth.” Hollinden’s compositions are packed, her colors rich and vibrant, and her use of space pushes her subjects to the foreground. Although her style and subject matter are often playful, Hollinden’s body of work reveals her classical training. She has a familiarity with previous art historical benchmarks; from Venus of Willendorf to 17th century still-lifes to Phillip Guston to Picasso’s “Guernica.” In other words, Hollinden offers her clowns and exuberant colors in response to the sobriety that dominates so much of the visual arts.

Hollinden says the aquatic elements in her paintings, perhaps as ubiquitous as her clowns, express her fears for the uncertain future; in her art, the ocean is the great abyss. This metaphor is reinforced in her recent painting, “Greener Pastures,” where a crying clown drives away from their blue, moon-lit past toward the promise of a rising sun.

Hollinden is scheduled to receive her MFA in painting from the University of Arkansas this spring. In 2019, she earned her BFA from Indiana University in Bloomington.

Above: “Greener Pastures” (40” x 32”)

Right: ”The Garden of Eatin’” (32” x 40”)

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REPURPOSED

For Shannon Green, old books, magazines, greeting cards and ephemera are the raw materials needed for creation. What is discarded is reborn in Green’s hands as art journals, paintings or even paper bead sculptures. A self-taught artist and maker, she has garnered quite a following on social media and through classes and workshops where she shares her techniques and inspiration with others. The Idle Class caught up with Green to discuss her craft.

How did you get into creating journals?

In the late 90s a friend told me about the book The Journey is The Destination: The Journals of Dan Eldon. This changed the way I looked at art and sparked my love for journals. His journals were a messy conglomeration of photos, ephemera, drawings, doodles and weirdness that really couldn’t be categorized. They were scrapbooks but also journals or diaries but there was art in there too along with some crafty elements. Dan Eldon was clearly just expressing himself through his journals with no thought as to whether or not he was creating art. I didn’t realize we were allowed to do that! Journals allow me creative expression without the pressure of trying to end up with a finished piece of art.

How many styles of journal do you have?

Over the years I’ve made art journals, junk journals, visual journals, travel journals, gratitude journals, prayer journals, project journals, bullet journals, gluebooks, swatch books, commonplace books, even zibaldoni. Now when I start a journal I just call it a journal for no reason. It can be store bought or handmade, it doesn’t need to have a theme, It can have ugly pages and pretty pages, I can write in it or not, I can show it to people or not, it’s where I do whatever makes me happy.

And how is “Big Bertha”?

She is sitting on her shelf all fat and happy! “Big Bertha” is a large junk journal I made about 10 years ago from hardware store paint sample booklets. I made several YouTube videos showing her various stages of growth and for whatever reason my viewers just fell in love with her. To this day I still get the occasional message asking how “Big Bertha” is doing, if she’s grown any, has she attended any recent events, etc. Apparently I inadvertently packed a lot of personality into her pages!

Tell me about the dress you made from paper beads.

“Audrey” began her life as a decorative metal dress

form I bought about a decade ago... [She] is dressed in over 8,000 paper beads that I individually cut, rolled and sealed and then I wove them to form a “fabric” for her dress. The dress is permanently attached to Audrey so it’s not wearable…that’s a project for another day! The beads are made from outdated Arkansas publications such as local and regional magazines, travel guides and brochures. It brings me so much joy to breathe a little bit of extra life into something that would otherwise be discarded

Do you view your work as fine art, crafting or something different?

In conversation I refer to what I do as art because that’s the way I see it. Someone else might call it a craft and that’s perfectly fine with me. I like to say that I make stuff out of other stuff so maybe that makes me a maker and I’m good with that too. I just do what I do, I don’t much care what it’s called.

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SHANNONGREEN.COM IG: @BYSHANNONGREEN
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Shannon Green creates art from everyday items. INTERVIEW / SHEILA CURTIS + KODY FORD
idleclassmag.coM 13 faypublic.tv Classes ▲ Equipment ▲ Telecast speakup.fayetteville-ar.gov/arts-and-culture-plan Your input matters! Let’s work together to make Fayetteville a place where arts and culture thrive. JOIN THE CONVERSATION Scan to share your thoughts and ideas, or learn more. IC Image Issue 2024.indd 13 4/17/24 1:48 PM

My Tattoo Artist

Lee Dandy is a tattoo artist working out of Electric Panther Tattoo in Cabot. Their work focuses mainly on “new school” tattoo stylings, with a lot of carefully crafted color layering and high-quality results. As one of the only new school artists in the area, Dandy’s appointment books fill quickly. I was lucky enough to snag a time slot for my own recent tattoo idea: a green piece of candy referencing the late artist Félix González-Torres with the text, “Take, eat, this is my body.”

Walking into Electric Panther, excitable but a little jittery as I always am before a tattoo, I was met with the familiar hum of tattoo machines and the chatter of voices. Dandy greeted me with an excited hug, and we laughed because we were both wearing overalls. There were a lot of flash books and booths for other artists, but as I looked around I found myself drawn to the art at Dandy’s station. Just like their tattoos and personality, Dandy’s art balances seriousness with a sense of play, whimsy, and brightness.

Dandy’s tattoo hand was a light one, and over the two short hours it took to get my tattoo our conversation ranged through many topics. I’m not usually too prone to laughter when getting a tattoo, but I found myself filled with joy as we talked about everything from our similar expressions of identity to their journey with tattooing. Dandy was a graphic designer for six years before they began tattooing, and they have now worked at the Electric Panther for about five years.

While taking a break, Dandy showed me more art featured on their Instagram. One piece was a beautiful, monstrously tentacled blue, green, and pink teapot. I was flabbergasted when they let slip that they started their career working with American and Neo Traditional styles — worlds away, artistically speaking, from what they do now.

“It’s a good place to start, because it relies on solid linework and smooth coloring,” Dandy said. But I could see, just by how they chose and mixed the colors for my tattoo, how much they enjoyed the technical knowledge and work that goes into creating new school tattoos.

By the time I left the Electric Panther, I was walking away with not only a fantastic, meticulously crafted new tattoo but also a sense of community, care and friendship.

Electric Panther’s
is in demand for ink. WORDS
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Lee Dandy
/ ANNIKA WARRICK

Neo-Boudoir

Anjuli Symone captures her artistic soul as a self-portrait photographer.

WORDS / SOPHIA ORDAZ

For self-portrait artist Anjuli Symone, photography is her medium of choice. Channeling her lifelong flair for performance, Symone opens portals to glamor, indulgence, and fantasy in each of the portraits she publishes on her Instagram page, @anjulisymone. Currently based out of Central Arkansas, Symone is a shape-shifter who interpolates ’90s high fashion runway with ’60s vintage romance, creating an artistic expression that is as unique as her fingerprints.

Symone is a multi-hyphenate at heart, and music was her first artistic medium. Born mostly deaf, Symone “hears” through vibrations. Her perception of tonal vibrations has gifted her with impressive vocal power and range. In high school she participated in choir, though she was often told to quiet her gospel singing voice because it was “too loud.”

She began to take her own self-portraits of her fashion as a teenager, when she was confronted by the absence of Black models in alternative fashion photog-

raphy and local photographers who didn’t know how to accurately capture Black skin.

“I’ve always been comfortable in front of the camera because for me it was putting on a role. It was getting to be something bigger than myself. When you grow up in an environment where you’re the only Black girl, you have to shrink certain parts of your identity, to kind of fit in to not just survive,” Symone says. “So I got to be bigger, I got to be my full self in front of the camera. Being in front of the camera was the place that probably felt the most comfortable.”

In her 20s, Symone studied musical theater, drag and burlesque. These experiences in performance and garment design (as well as the lessons she learned from performing in predominantly white spaces) shaped Symone’s creative expression and equipped her with skills that she continues to draw upon in her current work as a self-portrait artist.

“When I first started performing, and really even when I first started self-portraits for the online world as opposed to just for my own enjoyment, I did feel like I had to assimilate a lot,” Symone says. “This Black diva persona that white people predominantly wanted to put on me … now I’m more conscientious of it and now I don’t care for it … I don’t have to prove my Blackness to anybody. I also don’t have to feed into Blackness for anybody.”

As a queer Black deaf woman fully embracing her creative vision and desires, Symone is proud that her current self-portrait work disrupts the historic norms of boudoir photography that center the white male cisheteronormative gaze. Her work is a testament to self-authorship and self-definition, due to the high degree of creative control she exercises at every stage,from the conception of an image to its capturing and editing. Brands like Dove, Loblolly, and Logandria seek her out as a partner because of her unique and authentic expression.

Symone’s image has become an extension of her autonomy and a manifestation of her artistic vision at its most raw and unfiltered. The images she brings into being, from regal Renaissance-inspired portraits to passionate pinup-style vignettes, cater to her soul as an artist.

“I did not have that initial foundation of knowledge that this [body] is my vessel, and I can do whatever I want with it. I was constantly drawing from these ideas of men and money because I needed to survive. I had no strong foundation to remind me that, at the core of it all, this vessel is mine, and I can do whatever I want with it,” Symone says. “Now I get to return to the love of photography, to the love of artistry. Now my art is me again and my joy of the creative process and my joy of being a woman.”

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GRACE GALLOWAY

IG: @_TOUCHEDBYGRACE_

How long have you been in the industry?

I have been doing hair since I was about to graduate [high school] in 2008, but professionally licensed I have been doing hair since 2022.

What are your specialties/favorite hair categories to work with?

I would consider my specialty [to be] coloring, wig making and natural hair. I started off making wigs because I wore wigs for about 11 years, but then I started to play in color a lot with the weaves and the wigs. I’ve had a few courses in coloring hair and I found out that that was also a really big passion in the hair industry that I enjoyed.

What makes you love this job?

I love my job because I get to make people feel beautiful inside and out. A lot of times when people come to get a service done they might be escaping life, they need a therapist or they just might need someone to help them look better. Being able to be that vessel for them makes me feel amazing every day. It allows me to put good into the world and to bless someone with my hands and my talent while I am working and still making an income.

SHEAR BRILLIANCE

A peek into the lives of Arkansas hairstylists. INTERVIEWS / LAUREN GANIM + DAZZ MURRY

Caylie Porter

IG: @_HAIRBYCAYLIE

Why did you decide to become a hairstylist?

As a kid, my mom’s best friend was a hairstylist. My mom and I spent girl days going to get our hair and nails done, and going to the salon was a way my mom and I bonded. I also always did hair and makeup for my cheer team in junior high and high school...One day I just decided to go to hair school and never looked back.

How do you build rapport with your clients?

The best way to build rapport was to take everyone, study and understand color theory. The first salon I worked at had great ratings online, so I was able to fill my books and get clients quickly because of the salon’s reputation.

What keeps you going?

This is an industry that you can easily get burned out in, but being able to do what you love and enjoy every day definitely makes it more fun.

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IG: @_ALYSHA__J

What made you choose this profession?

This has been my passion my ENTIRE life. It’s something I’ve dreamed of doing. I love transforming women and helping them fall in love with themselves again by enhancing their beauty. The money is the icing on the cake!

What are your specialties/favorite hair categories to work with?

Textured hair is my speciality. I also enjoy cuts, color and extensions. My other specialty beyond the chair is helping beauty professionals grow their businesses.

How do you build trust and relationships with clients?

I build trust and relationships, first and foremost, by being genuine and also by finding out exactly what they want or looks they desire and then creating a plan to help them achieve it.

MEGAN CASH

IG: @SALON.SOLSTICE

What is your favorite hair color to work with?

I’m known for a lot of platinum blonde work, and it’s purely because my goal from the start was to do a lot of creative color and vivids — and you can’t create a good vivid color without having a perfectly clean platinum canvas beforehand.

Why do you love being a hairstylist?

With each new appointment, the trust builds naturally. I love my job because it’s mentally stimulating, fun and creative, but my favorite part of my job is that it just feels like I’m being paid to hang out with my friends. It never feels like work, it just feels like connection.

How do you build up a clientele?

Find what kind of person you are, what your heart aligns with, what matters to you beyond hair, and position yourself so similar people can find you. You’ll build an authentic, lucrative business that will always fulfill you that way.

HUNTER BRASHER

IG: @_BRASSKNUCKLE.BARBER

How did things go when you were starting out?

The first year of promoting was rough, but it really has paid off, and it helps that Fayetteville is big about supporting local businesses.

What’s an extra step you take to make sure your clients are happy?

It’s important to spend an extra 15 minutes with your client to style and teach them how products work so they know how to maintain it after they go home. It feels good seeing the feeling of confidence in a client. Every client is different; once you get to know who you have in your chair, you just have fun with them after that.

Why is this important in your opinion?

People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

alysha
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THE WOMAN OF 1,000 FACES

Multimedia artist Amy Terry, aka Gussyland, makes herself the canvas.

WORDS / JAKE DAVIS

Some artists hone a single craft and attribute their growth and success to a razor-sharp focus on their chosen discipline. Amy Terry — a professional hair and makeup artist, mural creator, and custom wallpaper painter — lands squarely on the opposite side of that spectrum. She even credits her growth in each field to discovering and making use of skills shared between them all.

Terry, known on social media as “Gussy” or “Gussyland,” practices out of Bentonville. She has been in business(es) for 30 years, with much of that time spent in the beauty industry specifically. She started her journey in professional hair and makeup at the Aveda Institute in Minneapolis. Her instructors emphasized inclusivity, and encouraged Terry to work with different types of hair textures, skin tones, and extensions. She describes this experience as “invaluable” because it taught her how to communicate and listen to a variety of people — skills she still uses with hair and makeup clients today.

“What would be very radical for one is not for another,” she says. “Some need a little push, another may want you to be wildly creative.”

Terry is definitely not a stranger to that wildly creative side of the field.

During the professional lull of pandemic lockdowns in 2020, Terry, driven by a societal fascination with Net-

flix’s Tiger King and a desire to prank her husband, used her makeup artistry and painting abilities to transform her face into that of Joe Exotic. After successfully shocking her husband, Terry posted an image of her work to social media, creating the first in her ongoing series of lookalikes, where she challenges herself to recreate celebrity facial features on her own face. Terry has since tackled the likenesses of Machine Gun Kelly, Susan Sarandon, Robin Williams, and many others.

When asked about her artistic influences, Terry mentions makeup artist Mimi Choi (@mimles) and the ’70s cult classic film Harold and Maude. She is also inspired by artists who use recycled materials to create largescale installations.

“I love using discarded items — even trash — and transforming them,” she says. “It’s just mindblowing to see what [other artists] come up with!”

Terry describes the professional community in Arkansas as “helpful and supportive” to her freelance career. She appreciates the willingness of others to recommend her for opportunities within her fields of expertise, and she strives to do the same for others in return.

“I grew up in the north,” she said. “Maybe this is southern hospitality?”

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LIGHTS, CAMERA, TRANSFORMATION

Makeup artists shaping visual narratives in Arkansas films.

WORDS / JAKE DAVIS

Images surround and impact us daily. Whether they come in the form of social media content, inspiring outfits, makeup looks or traditional visual art, they shape our perspectives and inspire our creative expressions. The field of film makeup and wardrobe makes use of images in all of these forms, and Arkansas is home to many of its talented artists.

Northwest Arkansas–based special effects artist Sahlah Tepes has worked in the field for nearly eight years. A love for haunted house makeup and the show FaceOff inspired her to launch a career in the art. Tepes operates under her umbrella moniker, Spellbinding FX, and as part of Cryptic Sisters FX alongside Paris Tisdale.

When asked how she brings others’ stories to life with her work, Tepes said, “It all starts with a concept, with reference photos that I use to build from. Some are original, others are remakes of their favorite movie or comic book characters.”

Tepes sculpts, molds, casts and paints original characters from scratch, sometimes using animatronics and LED lights when wardrobing calls for them. Among her influences, she credits H. R. Giger (of Alien fame), films including Pumpkinhead and Predator and other works on the darker side of the surrealism and fantasy genres.

Tepes currently works as lead SFX on The Forest through the Trees, a film written and directed by

Arkansan Jason Pitts, and recently finished work on Adam Sigal’s The Tower starring Bella Thorne and Jack Kilmer.

Another Arkansas native, Kristy Pruitt, entered the world of film hair and makeup when a hairdresser employed at the salon she owned invited her to work on the set of War Eagle, Arkansas (2007). The film starred a young Luke Grimes, who is better known today for his role in Yellowstone.

In her creative process, Pruitt begins visualizing looks as soon as she reads a new script.

“I float in the world of what the actor sees, the director feels, the character needs to represent,” she said. “A lot of times you see the character first before you hear any dialogue, and that’s built by makeup artists, SFX, hair, wardrobe. … We are a team with one goal, to create, and when that happens it’s movie magic.”

As influences to her craft, Pruitt cites David Lynch, X-Files, The Goonies, The Gods Must Be Crazy, and “old black-and-white films” like The Spiral Staircase and Gaslight (1944), among others. She recently wrapped on the Arkansas PBS series Mystery League (which features many adult Arkansans and references to the state) and is currently heading the hair and makeup department for an unnamed action film currently shooting in Northwest Arkansas.

IG: @KRISTYPRUITTHMUA / @SPELLBINDINGFX

Below: Kristy Pruitt readies an actor for a scene

Above: Sahlah Tepes demonstrates trauma wound effects makeup during the 2023 Fort Smith Comic Con.
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UNDERWATER DREAMS

Chermilla Henthorne brings the magic of mermaids to life.

WORDS / KODY FORD

PHOTO / ASHLEY GREER

For thousands of years, mermaids have given rise to stories of tragedy, danger and love that can be found around the world. Modern mermaid stories in Western culture evolved through the legends and folklore of European sailors before Hans Christian Andersen’s definitive and timeless tale “The Little Mermaid.” Originally published in 1837, the story follows a mermaid who makes a bargain with a sea witch to become human after falling in love with a prince.

But what about the reverse — a young woman wanting to become a mermaid? London-born Chermilla Henthorne, an actor and former cosplayer who now lives in Northwest Arkansas, grew up wishing she could do just that.

“I think every little girl was into mermaids,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve met a child that hasn’t been fascinated with the fact that you’d be able to swim and hold your breath forever. So that’s always been a magical element.”

The film Splash was one of Henthorne’s early favorites. “I was always fascinated with how they shot that, how they got the underwater scenes,” she said. “So from a young age, I was just like, how is she doing that? Like, I knew that’s a person in a costume that’s not actually a mermaid, but what’s happening? How are you holding your breath? Are you under the water? So it was always just the magical element of seeing her be a realistic mermaid.”

Henthorne set off on a journey to become a mermaid, at least part-time, and she didn’t seek out a sea witch to do it. Instead, she turned to the Internet. As a long-time film buff, lover of special effects makeup in horror movies, and a new actor fresh out of college, she began doing her research to find individuals and companies who could make her mermaid dream possible. Eventually she found a company called Smooth-On that created skin-safe silicone and met a few mermaid performers who were creating their own tails and using free-diving techniques to stay underwater for longer periods of time.

“It was a very self-taught journey because there weren’t the resources that there are now,” said Henthorne. “It was still kind of weird to say to people, ‘Hey, I’m going to be a mermaid,’ back then. So it wasn’t a topic that was easily conversed, shall we say, but there were some Facebook groups and stuff, and from there I found the UK’s first Mermaid Con and I went to that one and I was able to meet with a bunch of mermaids and get a bunch of mermaid friends.”

After the convention, she fell in love with the world of mermaids and found a personal tail maker whom

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she worked with for a long time. The tail maker wrapped her in duct tape to create a mold of her lower body and then used resin molds to create a bespoke silicone tail, complete with a dorsal fin and a custom paint job. Henthorne even found some color shifting pigments the tail maker had never used before to create an iridescent effect. Painting silicone is notoriously difficult, so they used psycho paint and a silicone thinner called NOVOCS to allow the pigments to be airbrushed onto the tail.

“Silicone is very particular to work with. It’s hard,” she said. “People creating art out of it are amazing. They have so much patience. I can’t even wait for the paint to dry to put another layer on a canvas so I can hardly imagine what they go through. And it’s like a science combined with an art form because you’ve got to balance how the chemicals react with each other and the environment you’re working in..”

But now she had the tail, but could she use it?

One essential skill for any aspiring mermaid is the dolphin kick. Henthorne likened this swimming technique to a dance move — a body roll that continues through the legs. It’s a difficult maneuver and it took a while for her to perform smoothly, but her experience dancing and acting since age four helped in some respects. “Swimming was never my sport, but I was a strong swimmer. And those skills rolled in together meant that grasping the dolphin kick was easier,” she said.

Breathing properly, however, was much more difficult. Using the free diving techniques she’d learned on YouTube and from friends, she began practicing and eventually worked her way up to being able to hold her breath underwater for up to three to five minutes.

“I would be diving to the bottom of the pool to see how long I could hang out there,” she said. “The immediate thing that goes through your brain is breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe. So that’s fun — learning to shut that voice up. And then there’s a certain pain threshold that you have to learn to go through to keep holding yourself. Because there is a certain reflex your body does give you that is triggered by the CO2 in your lungs that’s building up from hold-

ing your breath that is there for everybody’s survival. And as it should be, it’s very difficult to work through basic survival triggers.”

Swimming as a mermaid is banned in public pools in England, so Henthorne and her friends would find private pools to use when possible. She performed at private events and venues as a mermaid and continued the practice after immigrating to the United States several years ago. These days she performs at Blue Zoo, an aquarium in Rogers.

“The shows at the aquarium are very different to how I would regularly do a show,” she said. ”You are diving down in a tank that has sharks and stingrays, and the sharks and stingrays are friendly, so that’s not part of the factor, but you’re aware of them, so a certain amount of mental energy is required with the animals. Are you keeping an eye on them? You’re in their home at the end of the day, so you don’t want to be stressing them out. You don’t want to be just diving willy-nilly where you might bump into one of them. And then you are consistently diving down to the window to take pictures. You don’t get to stay down for as long as you maybe would if you were just doing videos and stuff because you blow out the air bubbles with kisses and stuff at the window that’s entertaining for the guests.”

Alongside the mental exercise, swimming underwater in a silicone fish tail for hours at a time can also take its toll on the body. But after doing it for over a decade, Henthorne still has a passion for being a mermaid.

“It’s all worth it. I would say it’s a mental drain in these ways, but you don’t ever think about those things. You don’t ever think about how exhausted you are or how tired you are. … Even if it’s a five hour show, you feel like, ‘I can do this forever,’ because you just see the smiles on their faces and the magic in their eyes and how they truly believe you’re this creature that they’ve wanted to be real for so long. … And that sort of happiness and bringing that magic to their lives, you could go forever. That’s energy, that’s undying.”

idleclassmag.coM 21 SYRUPS. COFFEE. GIFTS. EVENTS. 928 N College Ave. Fayetteville, AR pinkhousealchemy.com @pinkhousehq
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Danielle’s

IG: @SPIDER.M0M

Behind the Seams

Exploring the creative minds of fashion designers.

INTERVIEWS / CASSIDY KENDALL

Welcome to a world where imagination intertwines with craftsmanship, and garments speak volumes of profound narratives. In this fashion spread, we invite you to delve into the minds and inspirations of visionary designers who redefine the boundaries of style through self-expression.

Korto Momolu

IG: @KORTOMOMOLU

“As a designer, I believe it's essential to consider women and their bodies when creating designs. Additionally, integrating sustainability into my designs is always a plus. The purpose of this project was to showcase that beauty can exist in fabrics that we might not typically consider fashionable. Through the use of burlap, I was able to create a design that was both soft and sophisticated, despite the fabric's reputation. My intention was to create lines and shapes that accentuate a woman's physique while demonstrating how fabric can influence our lives.”

House of Spiders

“When designing this piece, a word that continued to resonate with me was “fantastical”. I wanted to create something derived from the underbelly of femininity, whilst also emphasizing that femininity isn’t inherently gendered. The piece itself was designed with the intention of encouraging body appreciation; which is why the piece is also completely size adjustable, making it the perfect fit for any body type. The spider stamp, which appears on the ribbons was hand carved myself, and the ribbons themselves were also handmade. Placing the spider onto such sweet fabric is how I’ve tried to impart the metamorphic feminine and the unintentionally spine-chilling aspect of an insect creating a duality that I believe lives inside of all of us.”

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— Danielle Honey Ferguson Photo by Nikon Don
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Photo by Meredith Mashburn

Rosie Rose

IG: @ROSIEROSEDESIGNER

“This is the Cyclops Gown At Northwest Arkansas Fashion Week by Interform Art. It is a blend of styles and fabrics, with an asymmetrical bodice, a large, surreal eye crying down the front in silver paillettes, and a bustle. Materials used include silk dupioni, cow print satin, white and black lace, striped jersey knit, black satin, black organza ruffles. I did not sketch this ahead of time; I let the elements come together, from unusual and farflung sources, and it evolved into its final state, myself as the interpreter of what the universe wanted to say through me.”

Madeline Shayne

IG: @MADELINE.SHAYNE

“As a designer and photographer, I always have the photographability of a design in mind when it comes to creating my pieces. All of my images, and therefore the designs I create for them, have a lot of symbolism and storytelling behind them. For this particular design, I was creating a series of images to share my experience with miscarriage. The blue hues and teardrop shaped trim is meant to illustrate the sorrow one experiences when going through pregnancy loss. Other symbolic elements were included through the posing, props, and post-processing of the images to complete a final look that I hope has related to other women who have gone through similar experiences.”

Photo by Madeline Shayne
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Photo by Meredith Mashburn

ZLabs

IG @ZZLABZZ

“ZLabs is an innovative designer striving to revolutionize the fashion landscape through concepts that highlight the strength of community and creative collaboration. Crafting exclusive 1 of 1 designs from locally sourced second-hand, donated, and abandoned materials within the region. The mission is fueled by a passion for witnessing the emergence of new art forms, paving a way for the future.”

MYNTWAVE

IG @MYNTWAVE

“Much of my work revolves around a repeated motif of transformation. Offering a layered dialogue that brings awareness to our innate ability as creative beings to produce change in our lives and the world around us. We transform secondhand and vintage clothing through an artisanal alchemy to manifest “Original Garmynts”. These bespoke oneof-one creations then go on to empower conscious creators worldwide to express themselves freely through art, fashion, and style. Serving as beacons of the power each of us possess to constantly create the world we want to live in.”

Kellye Wulfers

“This private label project marked a life-long dream of mine, to have a piece I worked on be in Barney’s New York (now defunct). At Barneys, I remember sneaking in sketch books to “gather inspiration” (this was before smart phones) in the 90s while I was in art school in Providence, RI. We were told most young designers would never make it onto the floors of this hallowed Madison Avenue institution (and I certainly didn’t hold much hope out for myself!) However, in 2019 a private label designer commissioned me to draw a tropical print inspired by old banana leaf wallpaper from the 30s. This was a few years before this trend blew up everywhere, I mean it is Barneys. I hand sketched and colored this pattern in Adobe Illustrator software and it was produced under their private label on a spiffy canvas tote bag with contrasting striped webbing straps. Barneys sadly shuttered later that year, but I will always cherish looking at my work with their signature hangtag.”

Tylo May, Owner/Designer Photo by Zach Earhart
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Beauty, Wisdom, and Grounded Grace

Miss Arkansas Cori Keller on how to look flawless.

INTERVIEW / CASSIDY KENDALL

This year’s Miss Arkansas, Stuttgart native Cori Keller, emerges from the whirlwind world of beauty pageants as not just a stunning representation of elegance and poise, but also a beacon of wisdom and grounded grace. In this exclusive Q&A session, we delve behind the dazzling smiles and flawless appearances into the secrets that keep Miss Arkansas glowing, both inside and out.

In a “go-bag” of beauty products, what are the top 5 items you’ll never leave behind?

* Lip gloss or lip oil (Dior lip oil is my fav!)

* Liquid lip or lip stain (Maybelline Vinyl Liquid Lip to be exact!)

* Kiss Lashes

* Tarte Shape Tape

* Beauty Bakerie Flour Powder

What are some of your best beauty tips and tricks for looking put together on your busiest days?

A great setting spray and powder can make sure your makeup lasts all day without touch-ups. Great skin care routines ensure your makeup has a smooth application as well. Both of these tips are my tricks to all day makeup!

What keeps you grounded, even on the most stressful days as Miss Arkansas?

Caffeine helps power me through the days but having a grateful heart keeps me going mentally. I understand the significance of being Miss Arkansas and never take a day or moment for granted!

What is some of the most beautiful advice you’ve ever been given?

“Life is too short to not be happy.” I have lived by this motto since it was told to me. This goes for my mental, physical, and spiritual health. I want to do, be, and surround myself with people and things that make me happy.

What are your top three wardrobe staples?

I love a leather moment. It’s an easy way to upscale an outfit without a bold print or color. Secondly, hoop earrings. Hoops are easy, classy, and always elevate a look. Lastly, jewel tones! I love a bold solid color. Keeping it simple with color or pattern is always my go-to. Every now and then I’ll mix it up, but usually I’m sticking to the basics!

What’s your favorite pick-me-up?

Working out always picks up my mood. If I’m looking to unwind, my favorite pick-me-up is a good meal and REST! Rest can be hard to come by so I always love to take time to relax and refresh. Oh, and ice cream. ;)

IG: @CORI.KELLER idleclassmag.coM 25 IC Image Issue 2024.indd 25 4/17/24 1:48 PM

How to Slay as a Queen

Vienna Sue Sage shares her drag secrets.

WORDS / CASSIDY KENDALL
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PHOTO / LYNDSEY COOPER

It can be hard to break into the world of Arkansas drag for many reasons, but five-year veteran queen Vienna Sue Sage can help any aspiring performer get there in a snap. In drag, sharing is caring and trading is aiding. This is a community where no queen gets left behind.

First and foremost, queens need to master the art of makeup, which can be hard for anyone who, like Sue Sage, has been masculine-presenting for most of their life. Sue Sage developed her makeup skills through a mix of trial and error and “YouTube Academy.”

“It started off as doing little male enhancement looks before I started doing drag,” she says. “It was just a little concealer under the eyes, filling in the brows, a little highlight on the face, and that was it. Then, it evolved once I started doing drag. I got a lot of advice from my mentor, and then my friend, but I never had anyone else do my makeup, and it just sort of built up on itself until I got where I feel like now is a good spot.”

Sue Sage has learned what does and doesn’t work for her dark complexion. For her, deep, rich colors like purple are easy to pull off and create looks around, while pastel colors like yellow tend to fade. But this doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for pastels in this queen’s look. Sue Sage says lighter pastels can be used to enhance a look and blend out edges. By using white eyeliner on her bottom lid, for example, she can visually open up her dark, hooded eyes.

“I love doing like a halo eye look, or a good cut crease moment,” Sue Sage says. “It just depends on what’s going on, especially if it’s around the holidays. That’s when I want to get really creative — around Halloween or Christmas or any of those where it’s like, ‘OK I can paint my face a whole different motif than like the human face.’”

In true drag queen fashion, Sue Sage does not believe in gatekeeping her best product recommendations.

Her number one staple is a good primer: Mac Prep + Prime Fix+. Another primer she swears by is the Ulta Beauty Eye Primer. For foundation, she recommends Ben Nye Stick Foundation or any Maybelline foundation. When looking for a 24-hour no-budge eyeliner — an essential for any performer — Sue Sage swears by Nyx Epic Wear Liner. To make those lined eyes pop, she uses any false lashes she can get her hands on, but notes that Kiss lashes have a good range from natural (ideal for someone just looking for a male enhancement look) to dramatic feathery lashes that will get you stage-ready. All of these products are relatively affordable, with prices between $7 and $33.

Sue Sage also highly recommends Maybelline Super Stay Matte Lipstick. If you are new to the world of makeup artistry, you will quickly learn that matte lipstick is tricky to get right and can easily leave you with

day-long crusty lips. Luckily, Su Sage offers some expert advice on the matter:

“Start off with exfoliating,” she says. “Put down a chapstick or lip oil, and once it dries down put on your lipstick. Put powder over that to get it to dry down and once I put my lip gloss over it, it doesn’t budge. Something about that powder over it to fill it in and then using the lip gloss — it works really well.”

Drag clothing is notoriously expensive to buy new, so Sue Sage only makes a new purchase for special cases. The gown she wore to Miss Gay Arkansas, for example, cost more than her rent. “I guess gay people just have money,” she said, laughing.

Sue Sage occasionally makes her own drag clothing, but most often she looks to her fellow queens for help. There are a variety of Facebook groups for drag queens around the world looking to buy, sell, or trade their attire, accessories or skills. This is both cost-effective and helpful for queens in need of something niche, like a size 15 women’s heel.

And sharing has no bounds in the drag community. Even wigs are often reused among queens. For Sue Sage, she says hair may be the toughest part of her look. She has a few go-to styles, but she is constantly innovating to bring variety to each performance’s look. Whether she’s restyling a wig she hasn’t used in a while or finding something new and bright to wear, a few things about her hairstyling do stay the same.

“I love it to be out of my face, so framing it in a way that you still see all my facial features because I feel like that’s something I worked a lot on, so I don’t really want to cut any of that out,” she says. “And then I want it to still flow, so usually like a half-up, half-down type moment.”

One of the last things Sue Sage does before going on stage is accessorize. She uses superglue to stick earrings onto her non-pierced ears (a tactic that works best after laying down an initial coat of foundation). As for nails, she recommends Kiss Bare Press On Nails.

“I’m not a big flashy person, and I also live my life as more masculine presenting, so I don’t want to have nails on forever,” she says.

Sue Sage is a full-time professional drag queen and has made a name for herself in the Central Arkansas scene.

“I enjoy doing drag. It’s something I never would have thought that I, at almost 30 years old, would be doing,” she says. “To me, it just comes naturally in the sense of this is what I do, I love it, and I know — to be humbly bragging about it — I know that I’m good at it.”

IG: @VIENNASUESAGE idleclassmag.coM 27 IC Image Issue 2024.indd 27 4/17/24 1:48 PM

Zeta’s World

| A Photo Essay

Words / NAtalie Zeta

Photography / NAtalie Zeta

Natalie Zeta is a 21 year-old biracial photographer from Fort Worth, Texas, who currently resides in Fayetteville. Growing up, Zeta always viewed daily life through a cinematic lens. Each moment was either a filler scene, character development or a crucial part of the plot. She was the kid who looked out the window while it was raining and pretended she was in a music video. (Dramatic, yes.) Her perspective left her with an abstract view of life as an adult, and especially as a photographer.

GUIDED

A surreal, otherworldly image from a birthday shoot with a friend. Aaron Robinson (model) and I met through Instagram. We instantly clicked upon our first shoot together and decided to collaborate on his birthday shoot. He wanted to create something “fairy-esque” while representing growth.

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Daria: At the Pizza Shop

)TOP(

Truly one of my favorite images to date. The Daria photoshoot was brought to me by a local creative, Catie Riley. She took charge of creative direction and styling while I produced photography and editing. It was so much fun to create these images with friends at local businesses around Fayetteville.

Daria: In the classroom

Another all-time favorite from the Daria photoshoot. We snuck into the architecture building on campus at the University of Arkansas and used a random classroom. Everything fell into place perfectly as the models played their parts, lighting was beautiful, and the colors in the classroom contrasted amazingly. The Daria collection will always be one of my favorites, especially as it has so many ties to Fayetteville.

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Zeta’s photography asserts that each person is the main character of their own story, with their own feelings, thoughts, experiences, biases and annoyances. Zeta’s photos are moody, bold, colorful and nostalgic. When Zeta steps into a shoot, she looks to tell a story and create a visual that represents her subject’s true self while also encapsulating their associated attitudes.

AURA

A fun, creative shoot I did with a new friend. Originally, it was supposed to be a studio shoot for a local flower company. I messed around with editing the test shots in photoshop and ended up with the beautiful gradient in the back. I chose colors that I felt represented the model’s personal aura.

VICE CITY

A truly cinematic image. This shoot was for fun with a few local creatives who felt the need to create. With mild inspiration and a matchbox as a prop, we were all amazed to see how well the images came out. We all agreed that this image was our favorite from the night.

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This issue is dedicated to the memory of our friend Casey Bourke 1990 - 2024 Donations can be made in Casey’s name to the Circle of Life Hospice (NWACircleofLife.com). IC Image Issue 2024.indd 31 4/17/24 1:48 PM
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