Finger painting never gets old by saille is planting praxis
September 27th, 2008 10:28 AMAs for portraiture, it must be noted that the bulk of my formal artistic training focuses on design for theatre (it must also be noted that said training is many years old and I am lousy with paint). Thus buildings and objects are carefully drafted, lighting can be intensely and unnaturally coloured, and, most importantly for this task, people are clay to scale with their surroundings, often facially unidentifiable (for your actor may be unknown or unseen or, worse, rotating), and defined by their costume. I like to pretend it was the years in theatre design that spawned my fixation with "me-costumes", the few and distinct outfits people would wear in plays about their lives, rather than, say, my shameful love of comic superheroes and villains. Watching these costumes is a good deal of my love of Burning Man events. To paint myself is thus to paint myself as the actor in the most current of the me-costumes I have constructed or acquired over the years; I am the unique intersection of these ridiculous characters. (As far as I can tell, this intersection includes pre-Raphaelite hair, the wrong sort of skirt to be adventuring in, and very large boots.)
As for painting on the self, I then decided to paint the more convenient of said costumes in a rather different medium. Or, at least, the parts of it that were vaguely achievable to manage on myself....
character concept 1.
I stencilled half the patches that are on the jacket myself, including the GONZO back patch. The jacket is one of my most prized possessions and I highly resent being made afraid to bring it with me on air travel in and out of DC, what with the "unamerican" patch, the "war is also terrorism" badge, and the dubiously acquired CIA lapel pin. I feel naked adventuring without it.
character concept 2.
ren pagan silly wear. it does, in fact, come with a cloak. skirt is a two-toned batik sort of velvet thing that is utterly falling apart after years of wear and a brush with fire when used as a potholder while camping. its platonic ideal still has stars made of mirrored sequins on it.
necklace and tank top
The black cord necklace with a silver pendant is an omnipresent feature of my wardrobe. This particular pendant was just the easiest of the ones I own to manage painting on myself in a bathroom mirror.
stripey socks
the colours of which are not particularly important.
feets
After filling these in, the paint started soaking into my skin and itching like mad. My intention to have any details whatsoever on the boots would have to be abandoned. And yet, aside from the itching, I'm kind of liking it. Must find better paint and a situation wherein it is less inadvisable to wear painted boots in public.
boots and stripey socks
Note the skirt is fairly interchangeable; I wore the longest adventuring skirt I own because then the sock stripes in itchy paint didn't necessarily have to continue up past my knees.
in the mirror
The end.
14 vote(s)
Lincøln
2
Minch
3
Not Here No More
2
Balaustine Envoy
1
Xena
1
Spidere
1
Charlie Fish
1
Mr Everyday
4
susy derkins
4
Ben Yamiin
4
Augustus deCorbeau
1
Stark
2
Herbie Hatman
5
Dan |ØwO|
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I really like thinking of oneself as the intersection of multiple characters. :) This is how I like to think of myself as well.
Too bad there wasn´t a camera with a timer or with an extra photographer. The concept is great. Please wear it in public someday!
I'm fairly sure I will do this again for a local burning man event. when I do, I will definitely add the pictures.
gah! you just painted yourself piratey!!!! glorious. :D