When I met Kabuki outside of the tents, relaxed, among his brethren of artists, he seemed relaxed and calm – but once inside the backstage area, his concentration emitted an energy that felt palpable. His face is focused, and in the intensity of his eyes you can see the passion for his craft while each stroke of brush carefully caressed the curves of his canvas.

I was lucky enough to have some alone time with him, and he immediately started with praise to Kai Khune, his collection, and his ability to convey the message of his collection to Kabuki. The inspiration for the collection was, “An Upper East Side woman who may just have a secret or two;” and to give further detail into this description, Kabuki used an apt example: Janet Leigh in the beginning of Psycho, a “goody two shoes who has just stolen all this money but is keeping it a secret.” Instantly, he knew he was going to shy away from bright colors, and keep it a delicate neutral palette with more emphasis on “sculpting the face.”

Kabuki then delved into discussing the specifics of his work. He spoke about darkening the eyebrows to give the models a sense of unity, but not to give a retro feel, but a modern look with no defined shape. He darkens just a slightly deeper shade, giving it a natural feel with just a hint of masculinity. He used MAC paint products to contour the inner part of the eye. He linked his style to Siouxsie Sioux, but quickly corrected himself in saying that the similarity is in the technique alone; he opted with a more lady like finish to remain consistent with the “young and fresh” look of the collection. Soft colors keep the look elegant rather than rock and roll.

MAC products used included: Bare Lash, Coquette ES, Face and Body Mixing Medium, Porcelain Set Powder, Magrites Paint, Tan Ray Paint, Hue Lipstick, and #33 Lash.

Kabuki’s great work can be viewed on his website. www.kabukimagic.com

Photos: Donnie Javed