Astoria Characters: The Creator of Clayful Characters

It all occurred during Covid cocooning.Kaitlin Kemp found that she had a lot of time on her hands, so she put them to work, doing what she always does, creating.Kaitlin is from Virginia.Because she and her then-boyfriend couldn’t go out on a date, they spent the evening crafting with clay, an activity that he had done years ago.“I started making mini-foods,” Kaitlin says. “And then I saw an article in BuzzFeed about someone who makes earrings out of clay, so I made a pair…

Continue Reading →

Astoria Characters: The Sit-It-Out Comic

It’s the left eyebrow that gives Mike Rockwitz away.It arches, mischievously.Check out Mike’s eyebrow.Mike’s eyes, celestial blue marbles, take the cue, bugging out as his mouth settles into a colossal clown-like grin.It’s a wickedly funny look, and Mike, a big guy with a Santa snow-white goatee and tons of tatts, plays it for all it’s worth.He loves getting laughs, but you’ll never catch him on a stage in front of an audience.This aversion to stand-up comedy…

Continue Reading →

Astoria Characters: The Goth Gal

Raven-haired Christina Loza, black bustier showcasing her silver chain mail necklace and winged chest tattoo, sits on a bench under a leafy maple tree and removes her large horn-rim glasses.Christina works as a nanny.Her look – you can call it Alt or Goth, she doesn’t really care – attracts a lot of attention.That necklace has a tiny silver sword.When a big guy stops to stare, Christina, who is 5-foot-3, gives it right back to him, searing him with her blue-grey neon eyes.After…

Continue Reading →