Little Artist Series / Cuddly Rigor Mortis

Welcome to our Little Artist Series, a little blog where we take a deeper dive into the art and artists we love dearly. 

Next up: New Jersey based artist, Cuddly Rigor Mortis, Kristin Tercek!

Jason met Kristin back in 2013 through The Bad Robot Experience art exhibit at Gallery 1988 here in Los Angeles, CA. After seeing her truly cuddly renditions of characters and extremely smooth and clean renders, Jason became an instant fan and still remains one. We’ve been discussing pins with Kristin for a couple of years waiting for the right project to come along. After patiently waiting, we’re happy to say that Labyrinth was the project to finally bring us together.

Instagram: @cuddlyrigormortis  Website: www.cuddlyrigormortis.com 

LSoP: Hey Kris! Thanks for taking the time to chat with us. For those who are being introduced to you for the first time, can you give a little background on you?

Kristin: Hey Everybody! Well, I have been painting full time for ten years now. I’ve done work for Disney, Sesame Street and been in lots of gallery shows. Before that I created my own plush characters and ran an animation/ink and paint company with my husband.

LSoP:  It’s so so sad that Disney’s Wonderground Gallery closed its doors. You created a lot of work with them in the past. What are some of your most memorable moments with the gallery? 

UPDATE: As of Feb 28, 2021, Disney's Wonderground Gallery has reopened!

Kristin: Well, to clarify, WonderGround is not closed indefinitely. Yay! It is open and going strong in Disney Springs in WDW (FL) and the word on the street is that it’s still not completely gone in Disneyland (CA). Every signing event was super exciting! I love meeting with guests and fellow artists, but my most memorable will always be the first time I signed and saw the 10ft tall banner they made of my artwork. Broke down crying I was so humbled by it.

LSoP: How are you doing creatively during these crazy times?

Kristin: I feel that I’m doing fairly well considering everything that’s going on. I started painting little fuzzy characters early on in the year as a fun experiment and well, 66 fuzzy buddies later, it’s keeping me sane.

LSoP: What’s going on around you while you create? Do you listen to music? Put on a movie or tv show? What are you viewing/listening to these days?

Kristin: I was all about tv shows at one point: Seinfeld, Star Trek, I Love Lucy and Arrested Development were faves. Now I’m listening to Spotify. Seems I’m in the .05% of top listeners for Nine Inch Nails. Go figure!

LSoP: The Jim Henson Company played such a big part of us growing up. Did it have a role in your life?

Kristin: I grew up with Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. Seeing those characters come to life every day was so inspirational! Warms my heart just thinking about all that happy they put out there!

LSoP: Could you describe your process a bit? Do you do a bunch of sketches before honing in on one or do you have an idea and go for it?

Kristin:  I rarely have an idea in my head when I start. I will do a ton of thumbnails until something clicks. Then I usually scan that into either Procreate or Photoshop and work out the final composition and colors. Once I like what I’ve got digitally, I’ll print the lines out and transfer them to a wood panel and start to paint.

LSoP: Your husband, Ed Mironiuk, is an amazing artist as well. What was it like collaborating with him for your solo show at Gallery 1988 back in 2017?

Kristin: Ed is amazing, isn’t he? I was working on a new series called Happy Houses for that show when he casually said he could make one for me. Next thing I knew he was felting and cutting balsa wood to actually create them in 3-D. I was floored, everyone was floored with how good they were. Stole the darn show and 1year later, Gallery 1988 offered him his own solo .

LSoP: What is your spirit animal?

Kristin: A beautiful, fancy chicken.

LSoP:  2021 is a clean slate, what are some of your creative resolutions for this next year?

Kristin: I honestly just want to keep making people happy, whatever form that takes is fine with me.

LSoP: Thanks for taking the time to talk shop and give us a little peek into what’s going on with you. You are a treasure and we look forward to everything you do. Thanks, Kris!

Check out our Labyrinth pin collaboration with Cuddly Rigor Mortis HERE