Original and reproduction Kris Studios items have been provided by Chuck Renslow and the Renslow Family Enterprises as an ongoing tribute to the artist Dom Orejudos (Etienne) to his life in art. Please feel free to contact us with any questions 773-761-9000 or by email. Copyright to the original work of the artist Dom Orejudos (Etienne) and the photography of Kris Studios is held by Chuck Renslow and the Leather Archives & Museum. Images may not be reproduced with prior written consent. Using the Ebay VeRo PLUS program, we will notify Ebay immediately and end auctions using Etienne's or Kris Studios works and images without permission as quickly as possible. Read our Copyright Policy.

Chuck Renslow

For literally decades, Chuck Renslow has been living leather. Following his passion and pleasure Chuck founded Kris Studios and began publishing physique beefcake in 1950. Eight years later he and lover Dom Orejudos (Etienne) opened their legendary Gold Coast Leather Bar. The Gold Coast established both Chuck and Dom firmly in the leather community and allowed them to expand. Other businesses have included GayLife Newspaper, Man's Country baths, and lots and lots of bars. Among the many, Pyramid, Zolar, Center Stage, Bistro Too and the Chicago Eagle stand out.

In 1979 they founded Mr. International Leather which quickly grew to institutional proportions. Following Dom's death, Chuck combined his huge collection of Etienne's art with his own personal archives from his businesses and his life. These were the foundation of the Leather Archives and Museum, which Chuck co-created with Tony DeBlase in 1991.

Chuck has always been an active member of the gay and leather communities. His dedication has earned him a number of recognitions. He is a charter member of the City of Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame and has received among others, Pantheon of Leather Lifetime Achievement and Forbearer Awards, Gay Chicago Magazine's Hall of Fame and Humanitarian Awards and the Centurion Leatherman of the Century 2000 Award. He is a Past District Deputy Grand Master of Free and Accepted Masons.

Chuck is a Daddy, both in the classical S/M sense of the word as well as the more traditional definition. For the past 40 some odd years he's been head-of-household for the "Renslow Family" whose numbers are legend and members legendary. Mr. Renslow has served on the Board of Directors since the creation of the Leather Archives and Museum.

Etienne: Court Jester of Erotica

The erotic artist who used the names Etienne and Stephen was born in Chicago on July 1st, 1933. Dom was still in high school when his first erotic works were published and he wanted a pseudonym with real flair, so he signed them with the French version of his middle name Stephen - - Etienne. He gradually refined a distinction in artistic names based on the medium he was working in. He kept Etienne for his more ambitious oils, acrylics and pencil works and used Stephen for his cartoon-style pen & ink works.

On his death bed, Dom wanted all his fans to be aware that he in no way wanted them to actualize many of the situations that he created in his drawings and he emphasized that with fantasy anything is possible and nothing has consequences; for it's just make believe. As did Tom of Finland, Etienne felt very concerned that his fantasy stories and single works might be misinterpreted over time. As any comic strip illustrator would do, he selected subject matter to create mystery and intrigue. Whether fulfilling a commission request, or just for the pure sake of a lark, he often created humorous romps that crossed into no man's land, sometimes with brutal situations. It's important for all of us to realize that within the realm of fantasy and art there are no limits, and that is the fun of it, yet in the real world such unsafe "no-limits" scenarios are not acceptable.