Body painting is a unique art that evokes emotion in the eye of the beholder. Unlike other art mediums, where people are passive consumers of the artwork, body painting often makes people think, question, and contemplate the artwork presented. There's something about seeing a human body shape meticulously blended with the background. Body painters in NYC work diligently for hours to create the perfect shot and effect.
My new NYC camouflage body paint series elicits these emotions from the viewers. Dubbed "the smartest naked body paintings we've ever seen," by Cosmopolitan, these beautiful pieces of art make people imagine how they shape their environment and also how their environment shapes them.
In light of this ongoing series, I thought it would be helpful to write a post about this camouflage body painting series and how it touches on social issues like gender equality and body positivity. I'm sharing some of the challenges that body painters in NYC have when creating these works, as well. Without further ado, let's start exploring these powerful, poignant images.
Coney Island
What Is The Camouflage Series?
My new camouflage series is one of which I am particularly proud. It's a beautiful juxtaposition of the soft female curves with the hard phallic lines of New York City. The results are breathtakingly stunning. You see the body outline against the city backdrop, including some favorite landmarks like Times Square and the Brooklyn Bridge. These paintings employ the camouflage technique, which means that body painters in NYC paint human bodies to look like they are blending in with the background scenery. The effect of this is magical, as you can see the outline of the human form absorbed in the background.
There's the contrast between the hurried life of New York and the peaceful serenity of each model. For the photo, each model has her eyes closed, which gives them an incredible still effect. The background is busy, moving, and ebbing with the hustle and bustle of everyday life, but the model stands there peacefully blending into that noise. New York City is famous for its aggression, neon lights, and attitude. Seeing stillness in such a busy city is remarkably refreshing.
The camouflage series has 16 images in it. Each body painting depicts a particular New York landmark with a different model, graciously blending into their surroundings.
Love Statue NYC
What Are The Images In The Series? What Special Meanings Do They Have?
Each of the images in the series prominently features places around New York. As you may have guessed, each one also has a special meaning to me. While it would be too much to list every single artwork and all that it means to me here (listen to my YouTube Q&A for this info, if you want), here are five of my favorite images and why.
Central Park
The Central Park image has many memories for me. It is also one of the earlier depictions of this series. The image is very peaceful and serene, featuring one of the most relaxing places in all of New York.
As body painters in NYC likely know, the weather can change rapidly here. This painting was the result of three attempts. Three thunderstorms occurred during this painting, which resulted in the paint dripping off, and the lighting kept changing. Eventually, though, the weather settled down, and I finally got this beautiful, serene image. The process of creating this image forever etched those memories of the storms and rain in my mind.
Dumbo
How Long Does It Take To Do Each Image?
If you're one of the body painters in NYC who is looking to try camouflage or if you are interested in this artwork, you might be wondering how long each one of these images takes.
Nowadays, these images take anywhere between one and three hours. However, that wasn't always the case. When I was starting, these images took much longer. In body painting, practice improves speed.
Most of the time, the difference is the complexity of the background. A more complex backdrop requires more time to paint. Of course, NYC tends to have relatively complex environments, so these paintings take a little longer than others.
Of course, the models I work with love the fact that I can paint much quicker than before. It can be challenging to remain perfectly still for each one of these sessions.
Empire State Building
For Other Body Painters In NYC, This What Inspired Me
Some artists have "aha" moments when it comes to their works. They see something on the street or in the shop and realize that it would be magnificent art. That type of sudden inspiration wasn't the case for this series. Sometimes artwork comes from evolution.
As some people who follow my work may know, I am originally from California. I was doing graffiti camouflage and street art back in 2010 in Clarion Alley in the Mission District. Then I started to learn about body painting. It held a lot of potential and promise, so I decided to put the two together. I blended the human body with the backdrop of the graffiti art in San Francisco.
The result was magical and quickly went viral. My career blossomed, for which I was very thankful.
A little while later, I moved out to New York City. The neon lights, tall buildings, and endless skyscrapers made me feel tiny and invisible. Everything was always buzzing. The city was awake 24/7, with never-ending taxi cabs, horn honking, and people out walking. Although San Francisco may have a large population, it's not as busy as that of NYC.
It seemed like a logical next step to try the art that I loved in the new city. Along the way, I figured I would learn something about the place and experience more of New York along the way.
Other body painters in NYC probably have similar stories for their particular art, but it's essential to note that sometimes inspiration is years in the making. In this case, it was.
Grand Central Station
The Grand Central Station art piece has a wild story associated with it. We started doing the performance piece. As we were beginning, someone must have called the police on us and reported a threat. Before we knew it, 18 cops were surrounding us. They were asking us what was going on and what we were doing. As a body painter who works with nude models, I'm used to the occasional police officer coming over and asking about the work and questioning the legality. However, I've never had 18 officers come at once.
Of course, we answered questions politely, and in the end, they realized that there wasn't a problem and went away. Still, the sight of all these officers over a little art performance screamed excessive police force. The image conveys how it feels to be in a harsh city at times.
Times Square
This piece also holds a lot of memories for me. Many people mistakenly assume that we posed this piece. It wasn't. I tried to bribe some of the cabs to stop and let me take the photo, but it turns out that stopping in an intersection like that is illegal. No cab driver would want to do that. Even though it may look still, this image was the result of dozens of attempts to snap the perfect alignment as cabs whizzed by.
For body painters in NYC, one of the tricky things about this city is the lighting. The cabs are yellow, but the bright lights of Times Square make them look orange. I had to paint and repaint the model to adjust to the changing light. It's also a little tricky because you need to anticipate how the light will look by the time you finish, not at the precise moment you start painting.
How Do You Make These Images?
First, I have an app for my phone that helps me figure out where the sun will be. For these types of images, lighting is so important. Without the right sunlight, the model will look too dark or light, or they won't look like they blend in the background. Any shadows or other harmful light effects will also lower the quality of the image. So it's essential that, before we do any shoot, I know the sun's location in advance and plan accordingly.
However, the app isn't enough. I still go to each location and scout it. I sit there for a while, watching how the sun goes over the skyscrapers and where the shadows are. I'm also looking for how blocked the sun is and anything else that might alter the shoot.
Once I've scouted the location in advance, I go back with the model. We work on the gesture that complements the background. I then go back and forth, camouflaging them. It's a very iterative process. You have to go, do some initial painting, go back and observe it, and keep filling in the gaps. You add in layers of detail after layers of detail, always being mindful of the sun and lighting until you arrive at the perfect piece.
Behind The Scenes | NYC Camouflage Bodypaint Compilation
Guggenheim
As a body painter, I often have the privilege of partnering with many exciting and fascinating individuals and companies. For this one, I partnered with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. This piece went up for auction to support this nonprofit.
There's something powerful about the Guggenheim for artists. Not only is it a place that showcases fantastic art, but the building itself is a work of art. The curves on the outside and perfect design on the inside complement the artwork entirely. Plus, something is compelling about showcasing the human body blending with this building of fantastic art. It shows how people - the human connection, emotion, and sensuality - are what make art, not a bunch of lines and colors.
NYC Skyline
This piece is near and dear to me because it is the first one that I did in this series. I was living in Brooklyn at the time, and I wanted an image that reflected my love for the New York skyline while honoring my new home in Brooklyn. The result was a magnificent image, blending the beautiful curves, the serene water, and the city's energy. It's a beautiful image that shows both how peaceful and hectic the city can be.
Freedom Tower
What Was The Critical Reception To These Images?
The Camouflage Series was very well received. ABC News picked it up, talking about how the images were terrific. I also sat down with Refinery29 and discussed these photos. In that interview, I was excited to share how the series is "an homage and a challenge to Big Apple women who feel the need to blend in with everyone else in Gotham." Everyone arrives at the Big Apple with a dream and visions of an opulent lifestyle, but the reality is that most people trade those fancy ideals for some comfortable shoes to ride the subway. Our environment, including how invisible we feel, shapes our dreams, goals, and what we think is possible.
Ask the Artist #4: New York Camouflage Bodypaint Series
Final Thoughts On The Camouflage Series And Body Painters In NYC
Body painters in NYC are some of the luckiest artists around. There's practically nowhere else in the world where there is so much inspiration, energy, and freedom to create. Other cities in the United States and abroad may have as many or more people, but New York is one of a kind. The tall buildings juxtapose with the genuinely serene spots scattered throughout the city
I feel that body painting is a way to expose those juxtapositions to the world. It's a way to promote social issues like gender equality and body positivity. Body painting allows all women to become models - to blend in with the landscape and create beautiful art. It's truly a privilege to live and create art here.
Of course, as we enter into 2020 and beyond, there will be many more artworks - including camouflage ones - to create. Hopefully, though, we won't have 18 cops show up for the next ones, as we did at Grand Central!
