The Honour of Belly Painting

Being a face and body painter is an absolute joy, no question. And having the opportunity to celebrate pregnancy by painting my clients is a total honour. So I was especially grateful for the bonding and intimate experiences of painting a few of my friends while they were pregnant over the past year and a half. Carmen, an intelligent and intuitive firecracker of a woman, had baby Taiga in February 2011, just days after we painted her. Her talented photographer husband took beautifully moody and peaceful photos of the process and product, which was such a treat. Carmen completely left the design creation in my hands - a nerve-wracking and delightfully creative process. Belly painting photo by www.tanakayoshinori.com Delightfully, the following year Carmen's sister Jill, a close friend of mine, announced that she was expecting. Jill didn't want a design that was a registered character or even specifically illustrative. She is influenced by some Eastern practices and philosophies in her life so I came up with a design to reflect this - a henna-inspired image full of warmth and tranquility. Jill gave birth this March to healthy little Hugo. Ella, who I went to university with and have known for a decade requested a belly painting almost as soon as she knew she was pregnant - what an honour! Ella is an extremely thoughtful, kind and talented person, not to mention an amazing Mom already to her first little one, Mia. Mia hung out with us through the painting process, quiet, curious, and content the whole time we spent together. Ella is now the proud Mom of little boy Kipling as well. All three ladies had little boys! It is profound to feel the movements of a wee human being, waiting patiently to meet the world, under the stroke of my brush. Thank you to these new Mommas for including me in your pregnancy experience. Congratulations to Carmen, Yoshi, Jill, Derek, Ella and Luca - you are beautiful parents and I am inspired by you all. I look forward to sharing many more laughs over the years and perhaps painting your children's faces some day too! The unique and intimate experience of pregnancy painting makes a wonderful gift and lifetime memories. For further information, contact me at allyson@gossamerdesigns.ca

Remembering Our Spirit

The Vancouver Winter Olympics are old news. Eight months ago, the city and much of the nation was enraptured with the trials and tribulations, victories and defeats of our country’s athletes and the energy in the air across Vancouver was tangible. Although The Games have come and gone and my summer and fall thus far have been filled with personal considerations and creative endeavors, I find myself reflecting on the spirit of The Games as the chill in the air starts to fill this new season.

I consider myself a lucky participant of the spirit of The Games during the weeks that they transpired. I attended a few exciting competitions, took advantage of the Live City entertainment with friends, and was one of the many cheering, crying, high-fiving bodies at Robson and Granville the day we won our coveted Men’s Hockey Gold.

But as an artist, I was also able to participate with and add to the spirit of The Games in a way that was incredibly deep and moving for me. I was hired at several community centres where children’s cheeks waggled under my brush as they excitedly told me more about the Olympic Flame than I ever knew. I was contacted by private clients to paint patriotic faces for events they were going to, one of whom ended up as a two-page, larger-than-life screaming fan spread in Maclean’s Olympic Commemorative Edition. I painted for the BC Pavilion for the hard-working government officials who helped make it all happen. I painted more maple leafs in a month than every Canada Day event I’ve done in my face painting lifetime combined. I was hired by the Yukon Government to create unique face and body paint on an urban youth dance troupe who were flown down to participate in a medals ceremony show at BC Place... The list goes on.

I was able to have brief and creative interactions with a huge amount of people that left me touched and inspired by the enthusiasm and connection we all shared. And as I write this, I am left with the realization that I get to experience this connection with people – mostly children – on a weekly basis with my work. I am honoured that people choose to share 5, 10, 15 minutes of face to face time with me. Thank you to all who have had a seat at my station and have let me create art on their skin. I suppose The Games were a condensed version of my yearly experiences with what I do and that’s why, as I put on my boots and down-filled vest, and my nose turns pink in the cool evening air, a smile comes to my face as I remember it all.