The inspiration for this body painting project came to me when I saw the work of fine art photographer, Allen Birnbach. He has the ability to capture the magnificence of nature through the lens. I had worked with Allen before and I knew he could bring this idea to life. Little did I know, that this would prove to be the most difficult make-up that I have done thus far in my career. I wanted to create something that would embody the landscape- as if the landscape was in an immortal human form. They would represent the life force within the land itself, the boulders and the burnt forest. I was especially moved when Allen took me to this forest near Boulder, CO. that had burned in the early 90's. Everywhere I looked, there were charred and broken trees. The entire sides of the mountains were so black that I almost expected to see brush still smouldering. I was looking around in amazement at the immense destruction when my eye caught sight of some little blooms on most of the blackened trees. In an instant, I noticed the regrowth that was happening all around me. Despite such disaster, life was still there- and returning in all it's splendor. To me, this is the essence of inspiration. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Allen and Alece for opening up their home and hearts for this project. Also, I would like to thank the ballerinas from the Colorado Ballet Company for their courage, trust and other worldly grace. Finally, a big "thank you" to the Santa Monica Art Studios for inviting us to exhibit this work, and by doing so, making a little dream of mine come true.
To view more of Allen's work, visit his website at http://www.allenbirnbach.com/