Lui and Kao at it Again

Chicago so Stank

Brand New Shade of Red

Hip-Hop artist Skarlett has reemerged to the music scene with a new look and new sound. On a constant grind, this female emcee is on the come up and open for collaborations with new artist. I recently had the pleasure of working with her to come up with hair concepts. We got a Winner! Not only did she love her new cut but thanx to the ArtHypes it's been incorporated into her new logo. I was also able to do a quick shoot with her at the park. I enjoyed shooting her, with high energy and funny personality the pictures came out bomb! I look forward to working more with Skarlett as her journey progresses.

Shots by Nik

Logo by ArtHypes

Kimberly Jackson of Always Loved Photos

Kimberly Jackson is an amazing wedding and boudoir

photographer. Her photos are clean and fresh and true to the emotions they were meant to capture. I had the privilege of shooting with her for her Lady like Behavior site geared towards ladies that wanted to give there husbands a little something sexy. I normally steer clear of anything that involves me in a bed lol but Kim was very professional and accommodating. I was comfortable and I love love love the way my photos came out! I hope these images inspire women in that they can feel and look sexy and confident with or without validation.

Next Level Dibble Dabble

As an artist I think its important to try new things and experience different mediums. I have taken up a painting class as well as doing some shadowing with Devon from Beauty by Divine on photography. I'm thoroughly enjoying my time in different art mediums and welcome you to view my progression

shot by kaori nik

Mother Daughter and Divine

June 5th is my Mothers birthday and I thought it would be sweet to set up a mother-daugher shoot. Needless to say she enjoyed it and we got some amazing shots on location. I chose to work with Devon, Beauty by Divine and he gave nothing less than his best. I've worked with Devon before for my first beauty shot which I love.

We were on location in Indiana on the beach. I styled and directed the shoot while working with Devon on coaching my mom through her first professional shoot. Devon specializes in Beauty shots and showcases the true beauty of women of color.

V-Classified Part2 Chic Confections feat. Kaori Nik

This past August Kaori Nik made its first debut in the V-Classified part2 fashion show. Working this event from all angles I provided hair-makeup-and modeled in my own segment of the show. The models wore all black and showcased DeLeay Lashay accessories!. Love lockdown by kanyewest was appropriate for the scene as all the models where chained together in the kaori nik segment. Bows and lace, mohawks and afros set each model apart showing versitility and creativity with every look in this collection.Modeling as well backstage was hectic at the least, making sure all my models are in order and finished and having 5minutes to finish my own makeup! But the show was a success. I had a blast being apart of this event and truelly thank Ms. Valencia, owner of V-Class boutique, for the opportunity to work with other great artist and give the audience a whiff of Kaori Nik.

Shaun Andru and Luis DeAndre

Recently I have worked with two new photographers, Luis DeAndre and Shaun Andru. Both photographer are both passionate and creative about their craft and I shows. It was a pleasure making masterpieces with them :-)

Shaun Andru and I collaborated to show off some pieces by Fashionable Addictions, a boutique that sells some amazing jewlery as well as legging, jackets and more. We thought downtown would be the perfect place to get some edgy photos to offset the pieces we showcased. We came up with a edgy yet soft appeal that worked! S

haun's energy is so contagious and he was easy to work with.

Luis DeAndre, high fashion photographer and model, was amazing to shoot with. I learned some new tricks and took some sick piks lol. We started out just doing some beauty shots and it turned into this National Geographic meets High Fashion Beauty type look and it reminds us of african tribal theme but more modern. I look forward to our next shoot! Stay tuned!

Beau Ideal Chicago Ezine September 2010 Issue 2010 featuring Kaori Nik

This month I had the honor of being an inspirations of Beau Ideal's Ezine September issue. It was an absolute privilege to be acknowledged in his first ezine debut. Meeting with Mr. Ken Patrick, aka Beau, was an inspiring and eye opening experience. Listening to his plans on how to positively affect the youth and offer them a place where they can grow artistically was amazing. Mr. Ideal has many projects in the works...so many in fact that you just have to stay tuned and watch closely to keep up with this cat lol. I plan on collaborating with Beau Ideal throughout the rest of the year and looking forward to opportunities in 2011!

Kaori Nik Bio by Quinessa T. Solomon

Kaori Nik is a multi-faceted and accomplished visual artist whose specialties include Hair Styling, Make-Up Artistry and Modeling. Born in 1988 as Nicole Christina Thomas, this creatively skilled artist is determined to inspire others to be original, to be themselves and to feel comfortable representing individuality, nonconformity and change. She accomplishes this through all components of her work.

With Hair Styling being the leader of her many crafts, Kaori Nik has developed and maintained a freelance hairstyling business where she has been highly successful. In addition to being self-taught and self-educated in her various fields, the Chicago native also has a solid education background. After graduating from Homewood-Flossmoor High School, she went on to The University of Illinois at Chicago (2006) for Psychology and Business and graduated from The Salon Professional Academy (2009). Currently, she attends Columbia College where she is studying Fashion and Retail Management.

Kaori Nik’s experience and accomplishments include work in the retail industry as well as the hair industry where she has assisted at beauty salons and shadowed at barber shops in the quest to perfect her hair styling techniques. The hair stylist/makeup artist/fashion model has been in shows like Remix the Runway and V-Class Couture. She has had the privilege to work with artists such as Da Visionaryz, Dye Lyfe Artistic Apparel, Nuru Photography, Deleay Lashay Jewelry, 10photos and J.Clark, to name a few. Several times, Kaori Nik has displayed her versatility by performing all three roles (hair, makeup and modeling) in one fashion show, photo or video shoot.

Kaori Nik is often described as innovative, artistic and self-motivated. Her extensive capabilities expand beyond fashion. She is also the Founder and Creative Director of Project BlaQ, a non-profit organization inspiring people to honor nonconformity and encouraging people to embrace innovation and the willingness to take risks. Kaori also plans to collaborate with other creative minds to send a message of inspiration and positivity through the arts. She wants to inspire others to change for the sake of evolving and motivate them to stay true to themselves.

When you think of Kaori Nik, think “Live Art” and “Truth in Motion.” Without a doubt, this vibrant and highly developed professional will make a mark on the fashion and art industries with her forward thinking and creativity.

You can find the talented artist on Facebook, YouTube, Blogger and Twitter all under Kaori Nik