Human Canvas Body Painting by Trina Merry
Some artists create magnificent works of art using traditional mediums like paint, ink, and chalk. Others take a more unconventional route, using items like corn kernels, grains of rice and even pieces of trash to craft unique amazing pictures and sculptures. No matter what instrument they choose, they almost always start with a blank canvas.
This blank canvas might be an actual rectangle of white canvas, the side of an unpainted building or a piece of shiny metal, but the common thread that binds them all together is that the surface is untouched, fresh, new.
I am more of what you might call offbeat. My art is forged by manipulating paint on human bodies. The difference between me and other artists is that while we all work on a “blank canvas,” I’m already starting out on a masterpiece – the human body.
With every breath my models take, I am acutely aware of the rhythm of their heart beating, the gentle curves of their body and the structural definition of their bones. My job is to transform God’s masterpiece into my own creation.
Every time I pick up my paintbrush, I learn more about my three-dimensional canvas. It’s not always perfect – in fact, more often than not I find myself making strokes over “imperfections” like scars, freckles, age spots, cellulite dimples, spider veins, stretch marks and pimples.
I find them beautiful.
Creating masterpieces through body art isn’t just the way I express myself, it’s my passion. It’s a gift I can share with others by putting them in the spotlight frame, by highlighting their unique characteristics and by bringing their souls out of the shadows.
My models are often under the impression that they are just the canvas. In fact, they are my inspiration. I love seeing how their bodies move and the direction in which their tears flow. It’s a fascinating process watching my vision come to life on human bodies.
Some people come to me completely willing to bravely put themselves out there, naked, wearing just body paint. Others desire a perfect masterpiece all wrapped up in a tidy package and topped with a bow that says “I’m glad I had this experience.” The majority, well, they sometimes need a little coaxing because they can’t see past the tiny imperfections to imagine the overall result that will make them stand apart not in spite of their imperfections, but because of them.
Painting masterpieces on bodies is an emotional experience as well as a humbling one for me. As I apply those layers of paint one brushstroke at a time, together we discover that the sum of their parts equals an entire body that is wonderfully and fearfully made.
My masterpieces agree to be my models for a number of reasons, but whether they are working through emotional pain or feeling exhilarated by the opportunity to be a part of something new to them, one thing is clear: It’s the models and their bodies that make my art true masterpieces.
