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One of the first steps in getting a new ornament out into the world is coming up with the idea. For Gregor, sketching is a good place to start. “Typically, I sketch up new concepts and ideas very loose and fast at first with pencil and paper,” he said. “I sometimes start by drawing a series of boxes on pages in my sketch book. The boxes represent dimensions I’m shooting for. Then I get wild and draw anything I want within those boxes.”

From there, Gregor starts to think about what those sketches might look like as a 3D object, like an ornament. “As the concepts become more and more fleshed out, I start to see them in 3D, which is fun,” he said. “Afterward, I scan everything into the computer and continue to work on the ones I like most digitally.”

Gregor may be new to ornament creation, but his love for art began at a young age in his hometown of New York City, and it’s still the place where he goes to be renewed creatively. “When I return back home and hit the museums like the MET and The Museum of Natural History, I tend to be creatively renewed,” he said. “I love sketching there, whether it be medieval armor, Greek statues and anything prehistoric. As a child, I would be in awe staring for long moments at those Charles Knight murals all over the Museum of Natural history, only to try and emulate them in my sketchbook many years later as an adult.”

So how is he enjoying his time here in Kansas City? “I am really excited starting this new creative chapter in my life in the Keepsake Studio,” he said. “Anyone who knows me is aware that I always tend to love a good adventure! What I am really enjoying about being an official member of the studio is by far the fans. It’s helping me grow as an artist. Being able to connect, especially in person with your audience, is a rare and special opportunity. We are so fortunate to have it.”