photon (n.) — a quantum of light. zero mass. zero charge. travels at exactly the speed of light and cannot stop, except upon absorption by matter. warrior (n.) — one who is engaged in opposition. one who persists without boundaries, relentlessly. photon warrior (v.) (redundant) — to move as light moves. without mass, without charge, without end. to exist as both particle and wave — inherent and infinite, singular and ocean, all at once. ✨ sparkle magic + infinite unconditional love ✨ photon warrior costume halloween 2019 📸 @beckyyeephoto

she looks like a starfish because she IS one. the underside is covered in glass seed breads and bugle beads standing on end, hand placed one by one, representing the tubular feet and ambulacral groove of an actual starfish. as they approach the mouth they get more active. the mouth is a red crystal. the front is rhinestones and pearls over a painted foam clay and acetate base, shaped by hand. the rhinestone cord has a heart slider and clasps so she can be worn as an adjustable necklace or harness. when she sold I didn’t expect to grieve her but I did. something made with that much love and time doesn’t just leave—it gets released. like returning a sea creature to the wild. you hope she finds somewhere worthy of her. she was the first piece I ever sold. one of three creatures who never quite belonged on land, made as companion pieces for my octopus.

she was made for fashion week. then she walked into the brooklyn museum. the love warrior. couture sequin collage, hand-applied piece by piece. wore her to the iris van herpen opening and she held her own. #chellebee #wearablefineart #irisvanherpen #brooklynmuseum #lovewarrior

what do you do with a participation prize? make it a love warrior. a month of weekends. piece by piece. couture sequin collage and hand-applied rhinestones on a denim hoodie jacket i got for showing up. I originally made her for feb 2025 fashion week. tonight she goes to the iris van herpen opening at the brooklyn museum. 🤍✨ tomorrow: photos from inside. #chellebee #wearablefineart #irisvanherpen #brooklynmuseum #lovewarrior

thank you to @bobkrasnertoo for this amazing shot from @jodymorlock Mad Morlock Masked Ball! read all about it here: https://www.amny.com/entertainment/jody-morlock-masked-ball-east-village-animals/

decisions decisions!! mask 1 or mask 2? bangs or no bangs!? I 3d printed these two different mask bases and loved them both for very different reasons and couldn’t immediately decide between them so I sparkled them both hoping the finished products would help me decide but ALAS! 😅 the event was @jodymorlock annual Mad Morlock Masquerade Ball and this year’s theme was TRIBAL. my tribe is undoubtedly LOVE so I worked hearts into the design of each mask. my outfit wasn’t something I thought about right away but when I remembered my LOVESUIT I knew it was a perfect fit for the fête. in the end the smaller mask one for ease of use reasons but I brought the other with me as well. I did so much taking off and putting on that the bangs were a non factor in the end. what do you think, can you feel the LOVE beaming from my heart? do you think I chose the right mask? ✨💖✨

from a lump of clay to the piece that made me call myself an artist for the first time. swipe for an overview of the process. 

I watched ‘My Octopus Teacher’ and something cracked open in me. I first tried foam clay but the drying time was too slow to hold the curls I wanted in her arms so I built her from Thibra thermoplastic. I painted multiple layers of iridescent blue-green until I got the right shade, and then hand-placed thousands of glass rhinestones — mixed AB and non-AB coatings, sized SS20 down to SS6.

she was supposed to be my Coney Island Mermaid Parade piece but I never made it to the parade. she’s a little too heavy for my liking but it taught me a lot about how to make things better and woke me up to the magic that comes pouring out of me when I’m in my creative flow.

1995, Hell’s Kitchen. I was a teenager, living a double life: corporate 9-5 on Madison Ave by day, staying out past dawn five nights a week by night. I stumbled into the club scene when a promoter named Baird Jones scouted me on the street and handed me his card. guest lists in those days only wanted your first name and last initial. that’s how Chelle B became Chelle Bee. I had no look. no confidence. a pair of drag queens at a club took pity on me and marched me straight to Patricia Field, where I bought what would become my signature: black platform boots. I wore them to every club. Sound Factory, Limelight, Tunnel, Palladium, Save the Robots, the Roxy. (that’s a Carole Reiff poster behind me. if you know, you know.) I never stopped evolving that look. I just didn’t expect it to lead me right back to where it started — to Patricia Field — but this time as an artist selling to people in search of their own signature. last month, she closed her doors for good. everything I am, I owe to 90s NYC nightlife. and so much of it, I owe to Patricia Field. now I’m figuring out what comes next. I’d love to know: what do you love most about what I make?

when @alicestribling comes to town the category is ALWAYS queer joy ✨ for this installation we went to see a preview of @catsjellicleball with fantastic seats on the stage right beside the judges table. (guest judges, not pictured, were @billyeichner and @realleadelaria) 10/10 would highly recommend! the joy and energy were top tier! of course we had to dress for the occasion and isn't Alice serving in their custom made top!?! (by yours truly of course!) I had to represent in a House of Field tank with my Vogue hat collab. 🖤 bringing the runway to the streets and subway platforms, as one does for an event like this! ✨🪩🐱✨

so grateful to be included in this exclusive editorial with all these amazing talents. my octopus headpiece has never looked better! @kaltblut_magazine Makeshift Mysteries A KALTBLUT exclusive editorial. Photography by @pauline_st.denis Styling by @rudyreednyc Makeup by @fordpagemua Model is @jonzu Asst @kaitoophoto212 Retoucher @shadow.retouch vest by Sarayaa shirt by Rag&Bone shoes by Yves Saint Laurent singlet by R'Archives earring by Mercura NYC rings by The MN Studio octopus headpiece by chelle bee https://www.kaltblut-magazine.com/makeshift-mysteries/ special thanks and eternal gratitude to @patriciafield