FAQ to Renne: Why do you wear red eye shadow?

Question: Why do you wear red eye shadow? 

Answer: Why not? I have been wearing red eye shadow for over 25 years. And, it isn’t easy to stay in stock. Back in 1989, I was so excited when I had a custom set of eye shadows made for me that were yellow, orange, and red with mica sparkles. Of course, I have newer shadows and sometimes blushes to don on my lids.  They are the same set of colors that I wear today, sometimes magenta, pink, or coral instead of red to match my outfit.

But, why red? It could be the Japanese geisha look. It could be my war paint. It could because am a fiery Aries. It could be I love bright colors that inspire bees to seek out imperative pollen from radiant blooms. It could be that looking somewhat like a clown confuses people when I am so serious. It could be how the red makes my hazel eyes pop. It could be I delight in the double takes and smiles I get from people who find the world is full of wonder, variety, and unique forms of expression.

Ryoko Toyama's Studio

I visited the studio of my friend Ryoko Toyama today. She is a wonderful watercolor painter who delights in color and flora. I am honored by Ryoko's talent. Ryoko is working on a series of paintings of me that she started as a part of her class work during Christopher Schink's workshop in October 2009. She also shared with me about Japan and what she enjoys there when the cherry blossoms are in bloom. Thank you very much, Ryoko!

FAQ to Renne: What does your closet look like?

Question: What does your closet look like?

Answer: People often ask me this question about my closet after seeing me in various outfits. Most of the time they answer their own question correctly. "Is it all lined up in rainbow order?" Pretty much, yes! I like to line up colors by inside out spectrum order: Yellow, Orange, Coral, Red, Magenta, Pink, Purple, Blue, Cyan, and Green.

This photo is of my tops section, kind of squish to fit in my square photo format. There are a few tops (very few!) next to the magenta you can’t see: purple, cyan, green, multi-colored and even black. Then the skirts and dresses are in color-coded order as well on the other side of the closet.

With this closet layout, it is easy to pick out colored outfits for the day to suit my mood or the particular message I need to deliver.

What does your closet look like?

FAQ to Renne: Do superheroes wear tights?

Question: Do all supeheroes have to wear tights?

Answer: No, they don't. But, clearly I do. I love tights! Always have, always will! This is a photo of some of my tights on the bed after doing laundry.

A side question I always get, "Where's your cape?" No capes! I think Edna from The Incredibles made this very clear why you would not want to wear one. As a superhero you have to think style and safety!

FAQ to Renne: Do you look like your avatar?

Question: Do you look like Zinnia Zauber, your avatar in Second Life?

Answer: Yes. I have done my best to be authentic in the virtual world Second Life. Zinnia might be more cartoonish and less thick than me, but for the most part she and I are the same in appearance. I make my own clothes and skins for my avatar. And, just made a set of eyes for Zinnia from photographs of my own eye I took under my microscope camera. I gotta be me!

FAQ Answered by Renne

I thought it would be fun to use my blog as a space to answer some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) that I get. As someone who enjoys asking questions to learn more, I hope that you enjoy this experiment in my blog.

Question: Why to do you have a Japanese middle name?

Answer: I was born in Tachikawa Japan, which is part of Tokyo, because my father was in the US Air Force and stationed there. My folks always wanted to remind me of where I came from. My middle name Emiko has several meanings, but the one I identify with the most is Smiling (Emi) Child (ko). I have always used my cheesewhiz grin as my logo to brand myself because the meaning of my middle name.

A couple weeks ago, I bought myself a keychain that had a little doll with my name, Emi. She is very sweet! www.kimmidoll.com