Kristy Bishop, aged 16. Fort Fairfield, Maine won Runner -Up in a national dress design contest in the magazine “New Ideas for Teens”  1968 along with five others artists across the United States. The Grand Prize winner was Michael McCowan, 15, Jackson, Mississippi with a pale yellow silk dress and coat with black herringbone stripes.

This design was published in the magazine (pictured above.) Black and gold homespun dress belted in soft black leather with matching collar and cuffs.

My mother, Kathleen C. Bishop made sure that I had every opportunity to dress well in our rural Fort Fairfield, Maine. (I received the honor of  being voted “Best Dressed” my senior year of High School.) Mom  sent checks to Vogue magazine advertisers for any clothing that I desired to have back in the late 1960’s. I studied all the magazines and listened to stories about my distant cousin, dress designer: Jessica McClintock. Jessica’s mother, Verna Hendrick invited me to show a painting in the inaugural art show at the Presque Isle,  University of Maine Art Gallery in 1969. I have no record of that exhibited painting of a nude woman riding a Harley Davidson chopped motorcycle. It was lost in California at a later date.

A few of my paintings have not been found over the years. One, a pastel  of Charles Bronson in a saddle 12″ x 9″ was stolen from Howard Johnson Motel Lobby Solo Art Show- Saugerties, NY  in 1973.  It was copied in pastel chalk from a photograph of the actor. The other pastels in the show were of nude models that I painted at the Woodstock summer school, the Art Students League, of which I sold one for $25. The price on Bronson was $100. It was my best portrait to date.