While working on the body paint design for a photo shoot at the desert botanical gardens, I wanted to create a fairy-like, desert Mother Earth figure (the “desert Mother Earth” name brought about by Chris… it felt right to run with this character direction!)
The design needed to be simple enough to get ready in just a couple hours for the schedule:
2:30am - Start painting
5:30am - Leave the house
6am - Arrive at botanical gardens for photo shoot
When focusing on building the color palette, it was important to choose a variety of colors that would represent the vibrant beauty the desert holds. The plan was to create layers of color that were thin and light enough to not need a full layer of body paint as a base.
The design is rooted in a thin layer of blues to represent the sky as well as a variety of greens to highlight the many shades of green in the desert. When I moved to Arizona, I was surprised by how much green there actually was and I’ve really enjoyed painting and exploring the many shades.
Some desert plants that inspired the palette include Globe Mallows appearing in pinks and oranges, yellow cactus blooms and purple Doubtful Knight’s Spur that has been thriving this season.
The photos from Chris continue to blow me away the more that I look at them (and the more space I have from the project date).
Truthfully, these photos have made me notice so much more of the beauty in the body paint than I was initially seeing. Doing a head to toe character in a couple hours very early in the morning was a challenge, which is why keeping the design simple was important.
That morning I felt that the makeup was just okay and I wasn’t head over heels for it in a way that I would have liked to be. The more I’ve viewed Chris’s photos from this day, the more I see how everything came together just as it was meant to that morning.
Chris, thank you for sharing creative energy in the shoots we have worked together on so far! I really cherish these photos and I look forward to when we find ourselves creating again next!
📸 @christopher_lee_creates
📍 @dbgphx
Deep breaths, listen to the music & watch this painting begin to come to life
This is what came out of me the other day!
Doing another session with it today 🎨
This painting features the Lantana plant which was one of the first I learned after moving to Arizona! My dad shared the name with me many years ago
I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to shoot a body paint at @dbgphx on Earth Day 🧚🎨
Photos by @polymathphoto
Snapchat family showed so much love on these photos, and I chose the main cover image because of all of the kind feedback on it 💗
Thank you @christopher_lee_creates for bringing us all together for this creative morning!
Handmade original cyanotypes going out the first week of May for those who join my mail club anytime in April! This month of art had a lot of time and hands on creating in each and every piece. Thanks for the support 💙
Patreon link in my bio 🐌💌
Happy earth day
I am learning to slow down
Really feel presence in the moment
(Bear is currently laying on my belly while writing this and she is purring and I am feeling very grateful)
I accept where I am at now
Doing my best to judge myself less
And be less harsh on myself
During the photo shoot today with @christopher_lee_creates and @polymathphoto I began wearing heels (mostly because I hadn’t painted my feet)
Partway through the shoot I took the heels off
I could immediately feel the freedom in my movements and grounding into the earth at the @dbgphx
The music in this video is from one of my favorite artists @facesoul
His music has helped shape the person I am today and to live a kinder, fuller and more present life
~ look up to the sky
~ take 3 deep breaths
~ walk barefoot on the earth
~ look at a tree
- touch a tree
~ admire a plant
~ pick up trash from the ground
~ say hello to a neighbor
A couple invitations for earth day and after ❤️
Releasing perfection is something I talk about doing and now I’m finally really feeling how to do it
The progress I’ve made on a few different pieces recently is thanks to “what if I don’t have to do it perfectly”
It has felt incredibly freeing
I am hopeful to keep this perspective going and when I stray from it I’ll listen to Kristen Carder’s @i.have.adhd.podcast EP384 “Do it the Easy Way” that truly unlocked my brain in the most beautiful ways
Many thanks to @dlar18 for sharing the episode
What a joy it has been welcoming Posh into our family! 🐕🐈⬛🐾❤️
Bear and Posh are taking their time getting to know each other, and it has been such a beautiful beginning to this new chapter.
The cyanotype art pictured is what I am creating to send out to Patrons at the beginning of May 💙 it’s been an explorative process and I’m grateful for the opportunity to make new art each month to mail out
Sign up for the mail club tier any time this month to receive one next month!
🪐🦋✨🧚🎨
I’m feeling inspired to do a Saturns return body paint before my next birthday!
This was sketched sometime last week, then last evening water color was added with fluid acrylic gold for final details. The close up shimmer in photo 3?!?
Photographed on my camera with no edits 📸
I feel she’s deserving of a spot on my feed ☺️
@urbansoul_photography capturing this Apricot Mallow makeup felt effortless!
Such a treat having her share her talent to photograph a character that I’ve been envisioning for quite awhile
The photos with the ironwood tree show what I have named my “fairy home”
The branches perfectly cascade to the ground with an arch opening to going underneath
I wanted to photograph this look there, so we made our way down the wash to do so!
We saw many bunnies, quails (Michael and the quails were saying hello’s back and forth which was the sweetest communication 🥹😂) and even a rattlesnake!
I’ve seen a couple snakes since living in AZ, this was my first rattlesnake!
Such a meaningful creative day 🧡
I’ve had quite the aversion to social media lately
Being on it
Posting on it
Posting has been quite challenging
I’ll start choosing photos or writing and then close out
Maybe I need a digital detox
Maybe I’m burnt out from it
Maybe I’m in a part of my journey that is more quiet and inward
I just want to be transparent with where I’m at :)
Here are some photos of the Apricot Mallow Fairy makeup I did this past Saturday 🧡🌿
