Gallery: The Bold and Stylized Art of Deviant Kreations
Owned by Dandy Knopf and Phoenix Flaxman, Deviant will be exhibiting at this year's Awesome Con from April 4 to 6.
When Dandy Knopf and Phoenix Flaxman’s cat, Nova, was diagnosed with diabetes, the couple, who are also co-owners of Deviant Kreations Art, began crafting cat-centric artwork.
Knopf devised a delightfully bold and stylized “Cattail” drink series, featuring such libations as “Purr-na Colada” and “Mewlot,” while Flaxman applied his talent for creating impressionistic visions, like the hypnotic “Void Cat.”
“We were ultimately creating [the] works to help fund her vet bills,” says Knopf, who adds that Nova is doing just fine now. Initially, the “Cattail” series was “only supposed to be about ten designs,” but it proved to be so wildly popular that “we now have about twenty.”
Knopf, who is nonbinary and pansexual, describes their personal artistic style as “whimsical.” “I like to incorporate a lot of puns and play with language,” they say. “It’s a very lighthearted expression of creativity.”
There’s a wry beauty and playfulness to pieces like the frenetic “Corgishark,” the fairy tale-enriched “Toadalope,” and the gently funny “Froggy Daycare.” Flaxman, a 26-year-old bisexual trans man, balances the equation with works that feel at once grounded and mystical, like the serene and stunning “Whales in the Fog” or the eye-popping “City of Lights.”
Knopf founded Deviant in 2020 just as the pandemic hit. “I was looking for a way to express myself creatively,” they say.
Flaxman joined the business in 2022, and things grew from there, with the pair selling all manner of prints, buttons, and stickers at the weekly Harrisonburg Farmers’ Market. They also operate a store in the college town but are looking for a new location, as the lease expires at the end of May.
“Neurodivergent, queer, and trans-owned,” Deviant will be exhibiting at this year’s Awesome Con in the LGBTQ-themed “Pride Alley.” It’s their first time at the storied Washington, D.C., comic-con.
“We’re trying to focus more on doing larger events,” says the 27-year-old Knopf. “A lot of our customer base is already predominantly queer. So we thought being in Pride Alley would be a fun introduction to Awesome Con.”
Browse more artwork and shop online at www.deviantkreations.com. Their store is located at 61 Quartz Square in Harrisonburg, Va.
Awesome Con is April 4-6 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. For more information or to purchase badges, visit www.awesome-con.com.
Scroll down to see more artwork from Deviant Kreations:
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