LaFete New Orleans

During the summer of 2014 I learned about an event called La Fete which is held yearly in one of my favorite places, New Orleans. La Fete is a convention of sorts for Face painters, body painters, balloon artists, body paint models and entertainers in general. We come together in a group environment and share skills, tips, secrets, frustrations, business advice, personal advice and some really great authentic Louisiana cooking. 2015 was my first year in attendance and it was one of the best experiences I've ever had.

The Fete happens to fall right around St. Patrick’s Day so we all attended the parade as a group and watched floats, performers and men in kilts move down the French Quarter in an effort to entertain the patrons. They were adorned with beads which are a NOLA tradition and all you had to do to earn them was stand and look pretty and receive kisses on the cheek from very attractive Irish Men (seriously!) I was quite pleased with the assortment of shiny beads I went back to the hotel with and I promise my morals were not compromised in the process...well they were a little with the garter belt I received ;-)

I met so many other people who do what I do and learned some very valuable lessons about my industry. We stayed up late nights talking, painting & eating. I had the opportunity to participate in my very first group body paint experience which proved to be both challenging and rewarding. Our model was a little firecracker named Angela Hutchinson. She is a dancer, choreographer and all around magnificent entertainer. She stood for a total of six hours and allowed us to do whatever we needed to turn her into a masterpiece. At the end of "The Fete" I honestly felt like I had a whole new extension to my family.

I had the ability to roam the French Quarter and explore some of the most popular attractions in the city. We were provided a guided tour by NOLA native, Magic Mike the magician (not the exotic dancer) and told all about the very unique history of this magical city. I look forward to maintaining so many of the connections that I made in New Orleans. This experience was yet again confirmation for me that I am exactly where I am supposed to be.

NYBPD 2014

In July, 2014 I was invited by fellow artist and mentor, Craig Tracy to be a part of New York City Body Painting Day. It was an inaugural event started by another fellow artist, Andy Golub. The event was created to promote body acceptance and awareness. This year I was invited again, only this time the models and artists doubled in numbers because of last year's popularity. Of course I signed up to be an artist again and was lucky enough to be paired up with an amazing model, MG Olivier.

All artists were asked to bring their own brushes and a design concept. Kryolan gave us beautiful colors to work with this year; orange, yellow, light blue, black and white. Other sponsors and generous donations covered all of our snacks and refreshments. New York's finest, the NYPD was on hand for our security and protection as well as their own entertainment :-).

I was grateful to have my brother Brian and my friend Ty traveling with me to the city. We arrived, registered and got started right away. When I learned the theme a few months prior; "What the World Needs Now" I immediately thought of the song "Imagine" by John Lennon. The lyrics in the song have always been so compelling to me and it also happens to be one of my favorite songs. I decided that Lennon's face needed to be the centerpiece of what I painted, this was the only part of my design concept that was planned ahead. I came up with the rest of the design as I painted and absorbed the energy around me. I finished my first model in three hours time so I was given a second model named Olga whom I only had one hour to complete. The design was quick and simple but I got her covered.

With around 75 artists and over 100 models, Andy and the volunteers did an amazing job organizing the event and making sure we had everything we needed. The area was roped off and security was at every corner ensuring that we were safe. There were specific media personnel allowed into the painting area to interview and photograph participants. The energy was high and positive and for the most part the crowd of spectators behaved very respectfully.

Once all of our models were painted, we marched to the United Nations as a group and took photos right before loading onto the double decker buses for our ride through the city. Bystanders smiled, laughed, grimaced, whistled and some even went as far as taking off some of their clothes to join in on our body acceptance movement. Once our ride was over, we were dropped off to the after party location, No Malice Palace. Artists were given the opportunity to continue painting while others danced the night away and feasted on the endless boxes of pizza provided by Two Boots.

It was an honor to once again be a part of such a historical event. I'm proud of what it stands for even if the purpose is often misunderstood. Every day in the media the human body (especially women) is objectified for the purpose of sales of products and services. This event is all about promoting the human body for what it truly is; A work of art.

Dinosaurs Rule

I grew up in Stamford, Connecticut. As a teenager, Downtown Stamford was the place that I went to hang out with friends, buy clothes and pretty much see anything that was cool in my little town. In the year 2000, Stamford introduced "The Cow Parade". The Cow Parade was an outdoor, public sculpture exhibit of life sized, fiberglass cows designed and painted by local artists. I was not a part of this project as I was settling into my life as a wife and mom and didn't think I had the chops to be a professional artist honestly. I did however think that it was a very cool idea and enjoyed going downtown to see the painted sculptures.

In January, 2015 when I decided to go full time with my art I also decided that I would take advantage of every opportunity that came my way. One of these opportunities was "Dinosaurs Rule". Stamford has been hosting these public art exhibits regularly since the cow parade and now was my chance to finally be a part of it! I submitted four designs in all because that was the maximum per artist (why not right?). Then I eagerly awaited the response to see if any of my designs would be chosen and sponsored by the jury.

"Adorned" was a design created for the triceratops fiberglass figure. Her design (yes, she's a girl) was inspired by the adorned Indian elephant. While I am not Indian nor do I know much about the culture, I hold in very high regard their love and respect of elephants and I find a lot of inspiration in Indian Art. The basic design concept was that she would be painted gold with a round, colorful caparison adorned with gem stones and glitter. Her frill (head piece) and horns would be painted to match and both the caparison and frill would be decorated with henna inspired designs. After about 2 gallons of paint and varnish, over 2,000 hand laid acrylic gems, six tubes of heavy duty auto adhesive, four gold paint pens, 1/4 lb of polyester glitter and 52 hours of collective work and drying time she was complete! Never in my wildest dreams would she have turned out the way that she did. The Stamford Marriott Hotel and Spa graciously sponsored Adorned. She sits right outside of the valet section of the Stamford Marriott until late August when she will come back into the studio for repairs and a public auction in the fall. I was very excited to learn that the image chosen for the invitation for Stamford DSSD's annual summer fundraiser "A Grand Summer Night" was "Adorned".

A couple of months later in March while at a body art convention in New Orleans I received a call from Lynn of Downtown Special Services District. Lynn asked me if I was certain that I could handle two dinosaurs and I was a bit confused because I hadn't heard anything prior to this call. She basically explained that two of my designs "Blues Player" and "Adorned" were both chosen by the jury and sponsored and she wanted to make sure that I would be able to complete both pieces within the allotted time of about six weeks. I could barely contain my excitement and immediately told her yes!

"Blues Player" was a design created for the Tyrannosaurus Rex fiberglass figure which stands about nine feet tall and four feet wide. His design (yes, he's a boy) was inspired by the 1940's Blues player. I happen to love music, blues and especially the saxophone. The basic design concept was that his skin/scales would be blue since he is a "blues" player, he would wear a black tuxedo with red and white accents, customized cuff links a fedora and tuxedo shoes resembling spats. His saxophone was to be constructed out of PVC pipes, spray-paint, adhesive, rhinestones and metal rods. After some input from some of my followers on social networking I decided to name him Rexxy T. (Like Kenny G.) Rexxy took about 1 gallon of paint and varnish, a few other materials and 30 hours of collective work and drying time. Steve Hoffman/Atlantic Associates generously sponsored Rexxy T. He sits right outside of 264 Atlantic Street until late August when He will come back into the studio for repairs and the public auction in the fall.

All in all this was a fantastic experience that was worth every moment of time and energy spent. I'm looking forward to next year's sculpture exhibit and applying again! Check out the catalog and map here!

The Flesh Art Show

The Flesh Art Show is an annual event that happens once a year at the famous One Eyed Jack's in the French Quarter of New Orleans. I had the amazing opportunity of being one of the 20 artists featured in the show this year. On March 20, 2015, I was paired up with the incomparable Margie Nugent and our models/performers, Andrew Zutell and Kim Tran of Out On A Limb.

Andrew and Kim are acrobats and already had a routine planned for the big show. Margie and I agreed that we would create a voodoo themed piece because of the history of the city and for very personal reasons for Margie. Our act was a big hit and we had a great time in the process of creating together.

That evening I shared a stage with some really talented and successful artists and performers. Some of these people are mentors like Craig Tracy who I've looked up to since I started my journey into body painting. During the event I just kept thinking of how blessed I was to be there. I'm less experienced than most of the artists and I was still accepted into the show. I had close to 20 sponsors that all happened to be friends and family. The experience was exciting, nerve wrecking and very surreal. Most of all it was confirmation that I was exactly where I should be.

Welcome

In October, 2014 I made the decision to take a leap of faith and follow my dream of being a full time artist. I gave notice to my job in December and by January the journey began.

It has now been just about six months and I can honestly say it's the best decision I could have made. I don't have a bunch of money saved up or a lineup of investors but I do have will, determination, heart, talent, a wonderful support system and a whole lot of faith.

Doors have not stopped opening since the leap and so I am going through the doors that seem right for me. Discernment is important in this journey and I trust in myself to make the right decisions for me and my family.

Up until now I have honestly been sharing primarily through social networking sites but I want to make it more accessible and more personal through this blog. I will likely be posting very often over the coming weeks and months because I have so much going on and would like to share it in pictures and words. I have a lot to share so buckle up and get ready to experience my glorious journey. 

Welcome to ArtSimplicated!

2007, When I first started my painting journey.