 My name is Alexis Fraser and I am a lipstick artist. I just peck the canvas like you're kissing your grandmother over and over and over and over again. I grew up on the outskirts of Chicago. I always was creative from the get-go so as soon as I could pick up crayons I was always doing something creative. I came up with this whole lipstick idea in the first place because I was trying to think, okay, what's a way that I can do something that hasn't been done before that's totally unique, totally different and kind of takes the stuffiness out of the art world that a lot of people associate art with. The whole idea was I want to create an iconic image that correlates in a way that correlates with that person. Naturally, my lemon roll was the first person that popped into my head because she's huge in the pop art world. So I just basically chose her as my subject and was thinking, okay, what's a way that I can create a lemon roll? That's not only totally different and unique but also correlates with a lemon roll. What's something where it makes sense that I would create her that way. Something that's going to just have that wow factor. And it was actually a road trip from Toronto to Florida that it just popped into my head. Oh my God, what if I created Marilyn Monroe using kiss prints like poignolism, like using my lipstick or my kiss prints and lipstick to create an overall image of her. So it just kind of seemed fitting and I don't know that's basically where it came from. The lipstick art, it's really awesome but it's also pretty laborious to do it as well. You can't just sit back and relax and use a paintbrush. I'm literally kissing over and over and over and over again. The first time I did it, it felt incredibly ridiculous and silly that I was kissing this wall over and over and over again. But as I started seeing it take form, it was like, holy crap, this is actually working, it's coming to life. Basically I start off by figuring out what my next subject is, who I want to create next or what it is I want to create next. I then go in and I sketch it all out first. I create sort of a paint by numbers for myself. That way I know, okay, this area I'm going to go nice and light and this area I'm going to go nice and dark. And then I go in and I just start kissing where I've identified where I need to go. I'm working very close to my subject so it's constantly following my guidelines and making sure that I'm getting right where I need to be. It's not the most glamorous process because I do, I get lipstick all around my mouth and my nose and my chin. After that comes the detailed work so my lips can only work so far. From there that's when I actually will use my lipsticks and I'll start drawing with them. And I'll take my paint brushes and start smudging and manipulating the oils that's within the paint. So a lot of it, the bulk of it is created with kisses but all of the fine details are created by drawing and painting with the lipstick. But it is 100% lipstick. If I want blue or yellow or orange or green, those lipsticks exist. If you can wear them all the more power to you, I like to paint with them. I feel like it's all very in the moment experiences or just day to day living that inspires what I create, how I create, when I create. Basically the kiss print is sort of symbolic for the idea of admiration, idolization, respect, nostalgia. So I'll do a lot of figures that are current and contemporary and then I do a lot of throwback people. Sometimes people just really have a love and appreciation for Frank Sinatra or whatever. So in that case for that person it would make sense for me to create him out of kisses because they just love Frank Sinatra so much. They love his music. They love the nostalgic feelings that that music might bring to them. Currently I'm working on a Frida Kahlo. Personally I really love Frida Kahlo and I find her to be a woman to look upon and respect. And I feel that it's like my form of almost paying respects to her is not just painting her but I'm painting her with my love and my kisses. So it speaks differently for everybody but basically what that kiss print symbolizes in the end is the idea of love. Everybody loves something or somebody and everybody loves to feel loved. And I think that when it comes down to it that's kind of what I'm putting into my artwork is I want there to be a sense of positivity in my artwork. My slogan used to always say lipstick lex because life's too short to live without kisses. A lot of people think that they're not creative or they don't have that creative knack or you know and for some it does come far easier to some people than it does to others. But we all do have it within us. If you're an artist and this is something that you want to do for a living you're going to have people that are going to tell you you're crazy. You can't make a living as an artist. Well I strongly disagree with that. Especially in today's world with all the technology we have around us and all of the different outlets and ways that we have to be able to get our art scene and have our voices heard. I think that it's a path well worth trying to go down but it's going to take a lot of patience, a lot of determination. It's going to take a lot of self discovery. Stop worrying about so much what other people want. Just create art that is for you and believe it or not there's always going to be people like you. So if you like it there's going to be other people that are going to like it too. You can be the juiciest, ripest peach in a crate of peaches but there's always going to be somebody that's not going to like peaches. So who cares about that person? Just do what's good for you and you'll succeed. And just stay driven, stay motivated and hustle. I actually never wore lipstick to be honest because I always felt like it was so I don't know like too out there. Like everyone's staring at me. I've got this like bright color on my face. But because I create this type of art it's like well I should probably go out of the house you know wearing lipstick. I am a lipstick artist right? It's sort of expected.