been in the studio, now I can't get the paint off my body.

So I have eventually been working on the rockabilly paintings,
but... as I worked I kept thinking about the  paper forensic suits Gina had given me after using them in her work; which you can see at Art Scene Investigations.
I had worn one of them when I went to see one of her performances. It was amazing putting it on. Yes it was a costume, but I felt no pretence at playing. I had a Proustian experience, a flash back to childhood when I got that first nurses kit.  She gave us a paper bag and in it there was a magnifying glass, some forensic bags, a face mask, a flashlight and a white paper body suit. When I opened it, the only thing in the world I wanted in that moment, was to play at being a CSI.
Later I thought of how wonderful they would be to use in my work.
SO, Gina gave me the suits when she was finished with them.
They are paper, and can be painted. cut, sewn, molded. I envisaged layers like an onion, cut out, legs, layers of persona's, discarded, thrown away,... you see... the possibilities are endless. I put them in the cupboard and hung one from a nail on the wall in the studio. Prufrocks moth pinned to a board, that hanging skin in Michelangelo's last judgement in the Sistine chapel.- which has always freaked me out.




 
I've been thinking about the under the skin thing.
And the layers of person, who you are, what role you play, and that changing role as you grow older, is part of the human condition... Mother, daughter, Father and son.
I know, I know, I said last post it was indulgent, but, things change... You talk to people, see links between things. I friend I met up with recently has lost his son and his father within the space of a few months. Suddenly,  his identity has changed. How does he relate to himself now.

See its huge.
NOW, I'm not good at this conceptual malarkey... so stick to painting you say, but I have to explore... To try.
Suddenly this afternoon, I decided to at least make a start. (it probably was the rain, keeping me from escaping to the garden or the allotment..)

I had a "Brilliant Idea", I would paint my body with red and yellow acrylic, put on the suit and get the imprint. My friend Lisa has done body paintings and prints, why didn't I ask her what paint she used??? Well I couldn't wait for all that. It was now! hmmmm. After scrubbing for an hour in the shower the bloody stuff still hasn't come totally off. And the masterpiece, see for yourself....

Yep, total waste of time. I should stick to painting pictures. Still its a starting point... and I know someone who will be happy to scrub the rest of the paint off me later on tonight. Hope you enjoy your evening as much as I shall.