From March 2020 to 2022, over two thousand face masks were handmade, donated, sold, shipped, and delivered from Storm's West Village home studio. Right before the start of the pandemic, Storm and her talented seamstress Jenny Lin designed street style face masks for a client. Conveniently having patterns prepared and using the Storm Ritter Studio deadstock original fabric, Storm focused on mask production in March. Sending material back and forth with Jenny, bulk double-sided masks were produced at a rapid speed. The rate of production and shipping was at an all time high. The online website was just being built by the artist, so this was the first launch of online commerce for the artist. Storm shipped masks and care packages daily to essential workers of all positions, people in need, and to purchasing/donating customers. Full time working from the home studio, Storm ran the website, communicated with various businesses for donations, packaged shipments and delivered masks around the community. Masks were safely given to medical centers, hospital staff, community outreach groups, veterinarians, public service workers, grocery store employees, food/service laborers, postal heroes, teams of nurses, elderly neighbors, rest home caretakers, firefighters, low-income individuals, etc. The money produced went right back into the labor and project costs, as well as donated to many charities. Sourcing PPE from Camolots, she included medical face masks in orders as well. Storm became involved with New York Cares COVID-19 Relief Program, donating masks, apparel, PPE, and monetary donations. FUNDRAISER T-SHIRT FOR HEALTHCARE WORKERS The "Heroes Rock" T-Shirts were specifically designed to celebrate and benefit our essential workers. The sales online went towards monetary donations and care packages to the New York Cares COVID-19 Relief Program and Black Lives Matters Global Network. Care packages to essential workers including fabric masks, sourced medical masks, bandanas, & heroes rock t-shirts. SAMPLING OF MASK VISUALS All masks were made with Storm's original textiles. Due to the unique lay of the fabric, all masks were one-of-a-kind organized by style and size. The classic reversible mask featured The Cool People in black and white and expanded into many variations of patterns. As masks were produced so quickly, it was a fast turnaround to photograph the products, advertise and ship out, all in the same day. With the masks all being handmade, specific design styles were listed online or chosen at random in small quantities. SMALL CARE PACKAGES Through social media, Storm was able to connect with thousands of people who needed PPE or knew a loved one who could use a thank you. Care packages were sent upon request without payment and masks were sold in bulk online to customers. The fabric masks were also accompanied by medical masks in care packages. SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS Thousands of people shared their appreciation on Instagram and Facebook. And it was accessible to quickly advertise the masks, shirt, care packages, and donation efforts though stories and posts. In a virtual time in the world, it was a beautiful way to connect with a community of new friends and clients. Positive action results in positive change.

Painting and free creativity was the foundation at Storm Ritter Studio . St orm led painting workshops for the community and local children at the store and at Greenwich Village Alliance street fairs events. With large canvases and mannequins to paint, the booths provided guests the opportunity to collaborate and create with the artist. She would also set up photo booth stations with painted signs and props to keep the energy exciting. This was the start of her involvement of working with kids in painting, followed by volunteer work with the Girls Scouts of Greater New York from 2020 onward. Painting At Storm Ritter Studio Outdoor Painting Events at Astor Place

When the artist opened Storm Ritter Studio in 2015, she just turned 23 years old. An incredible amount of hard work and collaborative efforts contributed to the success of the retail store with Storm pioneering the mom-and-pop business creativity. The space transformed consistently and inventory moved quickly; every month the display floor and upstairs studio evolved. View the archive content from 2017-18 of the store footage, press, and interviews. Inside Storm Ritter Studio, 2017 Outside the brick-and-mortar, 2017 Press, Interviews & Shop Tours at Storm Ritter Studio From 2015-2018, video interviews were shot at Storm Ritter Studio. With the bountiful events and display transformations at the studio it was extremely important to keep up with the archive. These video archives are timestamps of her journey as a business owner and artist. View al press, here.

May 2024, her client provided a vintage Coach leather backpack to refurbish and paint. Originally the bag had heavy signs of wear and multiple dark stains. The purse was stripped, cleaned, and re-painted in full before the added artwork. Featuring The Flower People , the double-sided piece is intended to showcase the client and her two sisters. Warm beige and tan were used to re-color the bag in it's entirety with a focus on fresh green and gold accents. Inside the straps reads "A Kind Soul" and "A Cool Soul" in metallic gold. Signed on the back and finished with final aging touches of, implementing dry brush painting with browns and earth tones to add a polished yet vintage quality element. Commissioned custom painted garments are a popular service at the studio. If you are interested in providing your own piece to be refurbished and painted, please submit an inquiry in the Commission Form .

From July 2021 to July 2022, Storm joined other downtown artists in live painting with Soho Art Walk . Each artist was assigned a storefront to paint in front of in a high foot traffic area for luxury shopping. The event gave the artist an opportunity to meet new clients and connect with the aligned businesses. Storm set up a small area with a previously started painting and worked on details throughout the day while selling small prints nearby. "Untitled" July 21, 2022 on Greene Street, NYC "City of Transcendence" October 2021 on Greene Street "Aquarius Moon" July 21st, 2021 on Spring Street, NYC

Learn about the inspiration for the fine art featuring, "The Cool Cat."

The artist worked with NYC Arts Empire on two group exhibitions in the Fall of 2021. Curated by Elaine Mendez, the first show was located at th e Normann Copenhagen   pop-up on West 23rd Street, NYC. The second show, curated Guerilla Arts x NYC Arts Empire was held at Blue Gallery on West 46th Street, NYC. The pieces in the showcase were apart of her new collec tion, " Realm of The Cool People " b efore the solo show with G23NY . Normann Copenhagen Pop-Up Exhibition Blue Gallery Group Show

Venus, Orbit, Thunder, Jupiter, Luna, Lavender, Indigo, and Velvet. These eight cats have and had a massive impact on my life since 1993. Artists should have a confidant by their side, as we spend endless hours alone in our process. Velvet is my studio cat and best friend for the past six years, and she's a part of my soul. Growing up, my cats were/are my siblings, and they taught me how to have a soulful connection with animals of all forms. Recently, my family lost my feline brother, Thunder James. It was his time to pass on, and I was lucky to be home with my parents during his ceremony. This past year has been so overwhelming and filled with loss for so many. Not only have I lost close friends to COVID-19, but dealt with tragic personal changes. But ever so lucky to have my health and strength to continue moving forward. Our animals family members are so essential and cherished. When I paint The Cool Cats, they carry the emotion and love rooted from the felines in my life. And I know my clients can relate so very much. In memory: THUNDER JAMES 18 years of love. Adopted as a wee babe, we dressed his little ears in blue bows. Spent years venturing outside, always back home by calling his name. He returned gifts of snakes, birds and lizards. Fought a coyote, lost his back leg. Three-legged bad ass, nothing held him back. Climbed the highest tree on New Year’s Eve. We slept underneath until firefighters came (twice) to rescue him. Always ate, just enough to suffice. Maintained his GQ model physique with scratching post pull-ups and hearty sprints. King of his pride throughout the years: Venus, Orbit, Jupiter, Luna, Lavender, Indigo. And mentor to his godchild, Velvet. Known as The Zen Master, his diplomacy and empathy, unparalleled. My confidant and sweet lover boy. Thunder is my true brother. We love him madly forever. When his soul floated away, he‘s was off on his next adventure. We will always miss him. Thunder moved on to his next life March 29th in our arms at 2:30pm.

"People are strange is when you're a stranger." Years ago, I discovered a truly unique soul, Came across his name and dropped him a line, not for a reading, but for a question. Surprisingly, he invited me over to his beautiful house on Mulberry Street for tea. Since then, Frank Andrews has been a dear friend, astounding teacher, and personal mentor. Far away from a stranger . As Frank says, "Pretending to be a normal person day after day is exhausting." During my final college years, I would visit him weekly and he would provide me with lesson in esoteric symbolism, tarot cards, and palmistry, purely out of friendship. Essentially, these hours became an other-worldly experience. Frankie is the man; what a wild life he leads. Even now, if we go out to grab food around Little Italy, he's a local celebrity. From Andy Warhol and John Lennon to royalty and modern celebrities, Frank is the  psychic of the scene. No schtick, just authenticity, Frank gifted me heirloom tarot and palmistry books, and needless to say, are deeply utilized and treasured. During my final college years, I would visit him weekly and he would provide me with lesson in esoteric symbolism, tarot cards, and palmistry, purely out of friendship. Essentially, these hours became an other-worldly experience. Frankie is the man; what a wild life he leads. Even now, if we go out to grab food around Little Italy, he's a local celebrity. From Andy Warhol and John Lennon to royalty and modern celebrities, Frank is the psychic of the scene. No schtick, just authenticity, Frank gifted me heirloom tarot and palmistry books, and needless to say, are deeply utilized and treasured. In studying tarot, I filled up a sketchbook with meanings, illustrations, poems, and associations, These images below are same process pieces in my esoteric education. Growing my abilities in illustrative story-telling, the knowledge I've accumulated renovated my unconscious. The more I organically flow and paint, the more it seems to translate with paint and paper.

In 2018, Storm opened the Storm Ritter Experience exhibition at the Ideal Glass Pop-Up  at 9 West 8th Street, NYC. The show was across the street from Storm Ritter Studio  at 14 West 8th Street. Running Friday through Sunday in April, the gallery show  featured fine art, painted apparel, painted furniture from the store, and sketchbook installations. The showcase included live painting on canvas and a life-sized horse statue, music by Strange Majik , and an open storefront across the street for retail sales.

Showcase Event

During her college education years at NYU, Storm stressed didactic learning, so self-education was a priority. At her West Village home studio, she spent her time honing her techniques, learning about herself, and developing thematic styles. All art and fashion for the opening of her first business took place in these early days.