Andrew is an artist living and working in New York City. He moved to New York in the Fall of 2003 to study art at The School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. It is not surprising that during that time he became popular for painting his face and body in nightlife, hosting and promoting parties and events. Even as a child, he was obsessed with doing makeup in his high chair, using cream cheese as foundation. Towards the end of his undergraduate studies, Andrew made a transition from working in nightlife to fashion, doing make-up for fashion shows, advertising, and editorials, which is not a shock either, since he was running around in his mother's sheets pretending to be Pavarotti at a young age. Opera has continued to be a fascination, as his art work is currently centered around the factual yet mythical history of the Castrati and the symbolism of the idealized artist and choir boy in today's young men. During teenage years, clothes became a shield for Andrew, or weapon in school against being marginalized for being gay and for being an independent, open-minded thinker in general. Andrew went all-out to prove himself in bustiers and high heels (in Massachusetts). Currently, his style is much more understated and reflects how conscious and honest he is. Andrew is a black belt in Aikido and very dedicated to his Dojo and to the spiritual study of martial arts. He has brilliantly incorporated the fashion into his wardrobe, in particular, the Hakama pant, which as he describes, takes on a totally different meaning when worn out of context. It's a symbol of high levels of masculinity in the Dojo, but when worn out on the street, it could be interpreted as feminine. To me, Andrew looks regal and priestly in the most drop-dead original way - had I not been referred to Andrew and had seen him on the street in the Japanese pants, I would have chased him to be on the site. He is currently living in Brooklyn with his boyfriend Erik (whom we will feature next week), where he works in his studio making paintings, drawings, and videos, continuing to be "out of the box" but no longer trying too hard.