New Bodypainting shoot + the plans

So, on Saturday the 19th I met my Model JBird inside T.Ruth Art space gallery at 10am.

( here is a street view of T.Ruth Art space located at 2403 NW Thurman, Portland Oregon 97210)
Luckily, we found the gallery super toasty as we climbed the stairs into the loft where I would begin painting her from head to toe for the next few hours.

and yes, it did take about three and a half hours to do the full body painting. In the above picture Jbird is working on doing some creative makeup on her eyes as I concentrated on getting the bottom half of her body painted. As always, we were racing against the clock. Jbird had an "ugly sweater party" to go to at 6pm which meant we had to be done with the body painting and photo shoot by 5pm.
By the time 2pm rolled around T.Ruth Art space Gallery was hopping with all sorts of creative energy and people. As people came into the door they were greeted by live flute and string music where they could sit back, enjoy a cup of coco while looking at the artwork on the walls. The brave and curious souls made their way up to the loft where I was still body painting the model. I met some wonderful new faces and was granted the supportive presence of friends.
When I finally deemed the body painting completed my model and I descended the stairs where Danny had setup the black backdrop and lighting.
And since the gallery was packed with people + our model and backdrop were visible to the passersby on the streets through the window we had plenty of onlookers and turned a LOT of heads.
About halfway through the shoot I ended up snapping this comical photo:

The lady pointing at Jbird from outisde, in the hat is Lorna who is to be my next body painting/photo subject. I will be photographing her in the wild woods of Eagle Creek, Oregon after the holidays. She is a roaring jazz singer and super groovy MaMa!
While this shoot was certainly fun we did get some serious photography done, I swear.

Here are the first few shots that have been processed so far:

body painting and photography by Chelsea Rose
....I was totally blown away by this model's creative poses and graceful postures. I was also pleased that I was able to paint more of her body then I did with the first model- this was because I had learned my lesson and decided to start painting earlier. And thats really what experimentation is all about: try some new things, figure out what works and doesn't work till you get into a good ebb and flow of creation.( Thank you Ann Marie, my frist model, for letting me epxeriment on you! You were amazing and such a trooper and I love the way that first shoot came out too!)

Another shot from Saturday's shoot with Jbird:

Body painting and photography by Chelsea Rose
.....another great pose by Jbird.


body painting and photography by Chelsea Rose
....For this shoot we were able to get a better lighting situation that made it possible to keep some of these photos in color. At the end of the shoot I had Jbird rifle through my costume bag to pick out an item of interest she wanted to work with. This red and silver drapery looked super exotic on her and really begged for some color photography.
When the photo shoot ended at 5:00pm I had taken over 500 photos. While its going to take some time to pick and choose between the shots I think I will have a lot of work to show for this shoot in the end. So stay tuned for more.


Last night I knew would pretty much be the last piece of creative time that i have left till after the holidays so on top of weeding through and editing some of the shots from Saturday I did some color painting work on my friend Wonder's woodsman/green man cloak + started a new painting of some sort of alien, insect goddess lady( whats new?)
Sorry, I didn't get any photos of this progress of these projects. After doing laundry all day on top of everything else I pretty much marched myself to bed when I was done with the creative endeavours.

IMPORTANT SHOP DISCLAIMER: Due to the Holidays any orders placed on Dec23 to the 27th will be shipped later then usual( shipped by Monday the 28th) So, if you are buying from our shop in the specified time period please realize there will be delays in shipping.
Thanks and Happy Holidays!

I do hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday. if you dont celebrate the common obligatory rituals of this time of year... then make it a point cherish the beauty of winter, the friends and loved ones around you and be thankfull for what you do have and not morn for what you dont. Thats what I will be especially striving to honor in my mind's eye for the rest of this month.

Much love and many blessings!
-Chelsea Rose

P.S.
.....how could I forget!?
I sold another one of my big paintings!
This is the one that sold:

Masquerade ball
original acrylic 24"x26" painting by Chelsea Rose
.....It sold to a lady who saw it through the gallery window while my solo show was still up. I guess she lives close to the gallery and would walk by on her way home and admire the painting from afar. Then one day when the show was taken down she realized how much she wanted the painting she had admired. She contacted Tiffany Ruth, owner of T.Ruth Artspace gallery and they struck a deal.
.....I had the pleasure of meeting the buyer during the body painting/photo shoot on Saturday. She was super sweet and excited to take the piece home and hang it in her bed room. Made me feel wonderful to know that it would be going to someone who will cherish it!
Very exciting and inspiring!
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More Body Painting with Ann Marie + winter SALE items

I had meant to gradually, day by day reveal more of the finished photos from the body painting shoot I did with Ann Marie on Sunday...but I got a little carried away last night and released 6 more photos:


body painting + photography by Chelsea Rose
Model: Ann Marie
( I really like this shot, she reminds me of a genie here)


body painting + photography by Chelsea Rose
Model: Ann Marie
(this one is the main full body shot. )


body painting + photography by Chelsea Rose
Model: Ann Marie
(This one and most of the others remind me of the old vintage tattooed women photos from the circus.)


body painting + photography by Chelsea Rose
model: Ann Marie
(This one is one of my major favorites from the shoot. I love her profile, the way she is holding her head and that she has her eyes closed. i think she looks regal but soft...and the pose shows off a lot of the painting work while being flattering to her curvy shape)


body painting + photography by Chelsea Rose
Model: Ann Marie
(There is something very mystical about her bright eyes amidst the dark paint on her face....love her expression.)


photography + body painting by Chelsea Rose
Model: Ann Marie
( this is Danny's favorite. He really likes the pose. Its a good shot of some of the back painting work too.)

.....So thats it for now but there is still more to come.
However I do have other projects i need to concentrate on. My paint that I ordered a week ago should be getting here today which means I will have no more excuses to not finish my Harpy painting. So yes, I need to work on that and also need to work on getting color onto Wonder's woodsman cloak. All of this photo project bizz has really been inspiring, super exhausting and time consuming- but it feels wonderful. I am looking forward to my next shoot with another lovely woman which is scheduled for this coming Saturday the 19th. I need to call T.Ruth and make sure I can still use her art gallery space for the shoot. This time I plan on starting the painting process much earlier so that we can be ready to do the shoot by 12 thus utilizing some of the space's natural window lighting. In the first shoot with Ann Marie I had not anticipated that the painting would take 3+ hours. We had started by 12 and by the time we were ready to shoot we had lost most of the natural light.
You live you learn....thats what experimentation is all about.
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The holidays are fast approaching, and yes our etsy shop is still in SALE mode. So stop on over and check out the goodies and wonderful price tags.
Here are a few featured items for today:


to view or to buy click HERE
on holiday SALE
original price: $20
on SALE pirce: $15
tie dye thermal
extra large(XL) 100% cotton thermal
dyed w/ procion mx purple and green dye
51" chest
....Its a great item for keepin off the chill while still staying intouch with your psychedelic tendencies.


8" X 16" original acrylic painting on canvas(studio frame/frameable)
By Chelsea Rose
on SALE for $65
to view or to buy click Here
The gift of art is something could be a token to a loved one that will last for a lifetime, bringing beauty, elegance and emotion to any wall in any home or office.
Grab it while its on major sale too!

And last but not least:


on SALE for the Holidays!
original price:$20 now on SALE for: $10
Mushroom screen-print: in white on a black
v necked short sleeved shirt
women's size: Medium( stretchy )
Bust: 36"
to view or to buy click here
Original silkscreen art by Danny Rodriguez Lucid Optic Lab hand silk-screened/printed by the artist: made perfectly imperfect and one of a kind.

Sale runs through December, so don't miss out!

Peace n Love,
-Chelsea Rose
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Exploration in Body Painting + a few words on nudity and Breasts

I had one hell of a weekend, thats for sure.
On Saturday Danny and I went to T.Ruth Art space to set up the area for the photo shoot that we had planned for Sunday. I was going to be meeting a model that answered a craigslist post on being a live nude body painting model for my art project. On Sunday the model and I met at the gallery at 12 and got right to work. I began with her face:

Here we are in the back of T.Ruth artspace sitting by the heater and doing the first embellishments. We started with the face and worked out way down to her legs.

The gallery was open to the public as I was painting and photographing her. T.Ruth had some local musicians playing and she was serving hot coco to all that came in.
This was my first time ever doing a full body painting and while it was a bit nerve racking to be doing it in public i think that my inspiration was fueled by the art space and all the wonderful people there. It was such a supportive atmosphere.

Ann the model was so amazing and patient. I started painting her body at 12pm and didn't finish untill 3:30pm. Then I photographed her till around 5:00pm. It was a long day but i am super excited to announce that the shoot was an absolute success and i cant wait to show you the finished photos.

....So here is one that I retouched and posted last night before I went to bed:

( please click to full view this photo)
So thats a taste of whats to come.

I cant wait to show you a full body photograph...so stunning.
I shot all these photos in color knowing that I would upload them onto my computer and change them to high contrasting black and white. I really am thrilled with the way they came out. Its a very exciting thing to have an idea for so long and then to finally actualize it!
So i will be uploading more of these photos from the shoot as soon as i have time to convert them to black and white. So stay tuned if youd like to see more.
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Onto another note i wanted to share an email correspondence i had this morning. This person had emailed me with a question that i have answered all my life about my art so i thought i would share it on my blog.
This is the email I read this morning:

"Hi Chelsea,
I found my way to your blog tonite via flickr, and started reading it. I noticed your Craigslist ad for a model. I have a bit of a bone to pick with you, if you don't mind:-) I am 60. I was a feminist in the 60's, and still am. While your work is excellent technically, I really question all the breasts. I don't know that I would call someone drawing basically male fantasies a feminist. Of course you disagree, and I would love to hear what you have to say. I mean no disrespect. I just wonder if you are aware of feminist history and all that women before you have gone thru in order to NOT be portrayed this way. So, go ahead and explain to me why I'm all wet!!
Best,
-annoymous "

This was my response:

" Dear anonymous,
Thanks for your email and your thoughts on the subject. I have been given crap for the boobs I have draw since I was 5 years old( I am now 22) so I am used to it and understand that in this world our bodies, our sexual organs, our nakedness is something to be feared for some reason. My Aunt always laughed saying the first thing I ever drew were big boobed mermaids...its something I have done unconsciously, unintentionally all my life so I feel its a part of who I am and in many ways I feel guided with my artwork by the spirits, faery, natural spirits that be since my artwork is not so much planned but done on the spur of the moment. These goddess, faery women just jump right out of me onto the paper. why cloth and hide away their truth with bras and shirts and underwear?
I grew up around a lot of powerful women as well as in many clothing optional, nudist communities. I was raised early on practicing earth majick and the worship of mother earth, the goddess and the natural powers that be and was always very fascinated by the big breasted wide hipped symbol of the Goddess and I feel a lot of the figures I draw are very much inspired by that symbol. I think its a very un feminist thing for one to say that beautiful boobs in all their various shapes and sizes could be only what you call " male fantasies". I think its important as woman to take back the image of the female body...take it back for ourselves, explore our selves, our flaws, our shapes and truly cherish our breasts, our vaginas, our clavicle bones, our eyes, our lips...everything. What you see in my artwork is a young woman's exploration of her spirituality and her love of female endowments. If you find that offensive I apologize and know that you have not been the first to be upset by it. But breasts for me are a feminine symbol of creation. We grow them lush so that when we create life we can nourish it and thus they are sacred organs that I offer tribute to in my paintings. I will always be fascinated by breasts and I will continue to paint them whether I paint them perky, limp, long nippled, or lopsided.
Also, I think there is not one way to define a feminist and not every woman will be the same kind of feminist as the next. Labels should not have a set definition in my mind because nothing in this entire world is that predictable. You are an older woman and so I have respect for your plight and your perspectives since you are my elder but I would hope that you open your eyes, your mind because everything changes, including these things we call movements. If they didn’t change, grow and morph with each generation then there would be lil progress in the world and the collective conscious. so I hope you and the others that have issues with the nudity in my artwork stop seeing breasts as a profane sexual thing and start seeing them as a symbol for divine life, creation and giving...and let yourself feel empowered when you look upon my artwork...feel moved by my interpretation of the beauty of the female figure and not shamed by it because that is what man has done to our image in our minds and the only way to break that wall down is to change the way we think and feel about ourselves, our body and the image of naked women and our various parts.
Best wishes and much love,
-Chelsea Rose. "

.....I thought this was a good way to share my thoughts on the nude aspects of my paintings on my blog. Im interested to hear more opinions and interpretations, although I must admit I am saddened that my work can be seen as some half brain erotica bullshit because I feel its far from that. However I recognize that art is a personal thing and we have a different view/perspective then each other and I wouldn't have it any other way. Still, it can be disheartening to find that the nude aspects of my work not only offends people but hinders me from displaying and selling my art work at various art fairs, galleries and websites.
But this is what i create and i have never ever thought to censor myself and im not about to start doing it now, even if it ment me being more successful by reaching a bigger demographic/audience with my work.

It is what it is.

That's all the words I have for today.

Peace n Love
-Chelsea Rose
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Art print SALE + art project news+ Winter Falls trip

Winter SALE news flash:
Not only have i put all my 5"x7" art prints on SALE for $5 but i just released a bunch of my illustrations into sale mode that have yet to be available for purchase.
check them out:


"Staring Contest"
by Chelsea Rose
5"x7" art print
to view listing or to buy on SALE click here


"Healer"
by Chelsea Rose
5"x7" art print
to view or to buy on SALE click here


"Faery Blossom"
by Chelsea Rose
5"x7" art print
to view or to buy on SALE click here


"Ribbon"
by Chelsea Rose
5"x7" art print
to view or to buy on SALE click here


"Earth Spirit"
by Chelsea Rose
5"x7" art print
to view or to buy on SALE clickHere


"Harpy"
by Chelsea Rose
5"x7" art print
to view or to buy on SALE click here


"Wind Spirit"
by Chelsea Rose
5"x7" art print
to view or to buy on SALE click here
....and there are much more prints to choose from in the Art Prints section of our shop.

I would have you know these prints come sealed in a crystal clear plastic sleeve to keep it safe. Our prints are made on archival canson artist card paper( has a similar feel to watercolor paper). Makes a wonderful card, gift or decoration.
This concludes our featured SAlE for today. This SALE will run all through December so ahead and grab while the prices are sweet.
----------------------------------------
As far as recent art projects go i finally got off my butt and started laying the ground work for my friend Wonder's woods man cloak.

This is what i have so far. Now i have to go in with color and do some more embellishing, flip it around and begin the front side too! I really hope this works. Im using Lumiere acrylic fabric paint ontop of white screen print water based fabric paint. I guess we shall find out, wont we?

Other then that yesterday i posted a craigslist add that said the following:
Title: Body Painting Model Needed for Art project (Portland Oregon)
Post: "I am a female photographer and painter. I have been focusing for the past few years mainly on acrylic painting and I would like to begin working on more photography projects again. I have a huge interest in knitting both painting and photography together however I need a reliable, creative and sultry woman whom is willing to model for me during this art project. Nudity would be involved but only tasteful nudity. I am a woman myself and have a great respect for females, our plight and our image in this world. Being a bit of a feminist I would only ever portray women in a light that evokes respect, admiration, strength and natural beauty. This project would involve a full body painting. I would be using a water based face paint called snazaroo that is very safe even for people with sensitive skin. Please email me with a quick statement about yourself, where you are in portland and why you are interested in working on this project with me + send me up to date photos of you if interested in working on this project. Also, please let me know if you have any tattoos and where they are located so that I can determine whether or not they might hinder the body painting design I have planned. (We could probably cover tattoos up if needed with makeup, so its not a big deal.) If you have had any model experience please let me know, although it is in no way necessary. This is a TFCD( Time For CD) art project which means we will be trading each other’s services. I will be trading you a CD full of excellent quality, beautiful photographs that I take of you for your creative and intuitive modeling. Our photo shoot would be done on a weekend probably in the morning or early afternoon when the lighting is best so please let me know what your availability is like when you email me your photos and info. If you are interested to see some of my photography and art work please view my online portfolio: www.chelsearosearts.com Thanks very much for your interest in this opportunity. I look forward to creating with you! "
....and i have gotten 10 really wonderful responses from some beautiful, strong and creative young women! Originally I was just thinking of doing a shoot or two but now I am thinking I should do an entire series based on this idea/art project. So yes, I am very excited about this and i will keep you posted on what goes down. If YOU happen to be in portland Oregon or know someone who is- whom might be interested in modeling for this art project please have them email me at chelsea@lucidopticlab.com.
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In other news Last night Danny and I took a quick drive out to the Multnomah Falls area where we found this:

Frozen water falls!
photo courtesy of Danny.
....its been below freezing for a couple weeks now but it has not snowed yet. So visiting these frozen water falls was very surreal.
I heard a rumor it might snow tomorrow-eek.

....and its FRIDAY! Im itching to get home, get into my cozys and work on all my various painting projects however i am thinking i might attend 'The Big 100 Art Show-100 local portland artists, 2000 works' ONE NIGHT ONLY. Cash/CarryALL WORK IS $30Benefit for KBOO Community Radio, Oregon Food Bank and Portland City Art, arts non profit (Artists for Artists)MORE INFO: WWW.PORTLANDCITYART.ORG CURATED BY PORTLAND CITY ART (John Graeter, Chris Haberman) and Po Boy Art (Jason Brown/Goodfoot)
.....I would love to go and see what is up on those walls, meet some more local artists and see my friend Karah who has some of her sculpture work in the show. Also, hoping that i can find a way to get on the list for the next one!

Thats it for now. Sorry about these super long blog posts I always end up writing!
Best wishes!
-Chelsea Rose
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Winter SALE highlights and more

So far our Winter SALE is going great and I have a few SALE items I would like to feature today:


on SALE for the Holidays!
original price:$30
on SALE for: $20
white Humongous Fungus screen print
on a purple sleeveless dress
bust 38"
waist 34"
hips 36"
To view or to buy click HERE
...I am super surprised this dress has not sold yet. Its perhaps one of my most favorite Lucid Optic Lab creations especially since it boasts Danny's kick ass Humongous Fungus screen print( which he hand screened himself!) and its purple! It would be mine...all mine if it were not just a tad too big in the bust area. I would really love to see this dress go to a good home. someone who is a mushroom and purple enthusiast- most definitely!




Optical (Eye)llusion screen print t-shirt
on SALE for the Holidays.
original price:$20
on SALE for: $10
Optical (eye)llusion screen print on a light blue small(S) T- shirt
(38" chest)
To view or to buy click HERE
....Yes, another hand designed/hand screen printed exclusive Lucid Optic Lab shirt.
We have stopped screening this design so there are precious few of these shirts left so feel free to grab this one on SALE!

Last SALE feature item of the day:



New item! on SALE!
tie dye skort( skirt and short hybrid)
hand tie dyed with procion mx red, magenta, purple, and blue dye and lots of love.
size:14
100% cotton
34" waist
35" long
to view or to buy click HERE
....not to mention, if the tie-dye tank top caught your eye its also on sale HERE for only $7!

So that concludes our featured SALE items for today. Thanks so much for those who have taken part in our Holiday/Winter SALE! The support is so very much appreciated. Thanks for buying Handmade for the Holidays.
--------------------------------------------
Onto other news:

While I was going through my computer files, trying to be good by backing up my data, I ran across a baby photo of mine. This is my Mom and I. I really love her tie-dye shirt!

Honestly there is not too much going on. I'm still scouring the local art stores for the acrylic paint I like to use. This paint dilemma has stunted my progress on my Harpy painting, unfortunately. But once I get my hands on some more paint I am hoping to make up for the lost time and get it done quick!

Until then I am working on a project for my dear friend Randy Wonder Tooth. He commissioned me to paint his huge canvas trench coat- making it into a super special, majickle woods man jacket for him to romp around in the Wolfcreek sanctuary( beautiful piece of southern Oregon land!) in. So far I have painted the parts I wish to embellish with a layer of white screen print paint as a surface prep. I then projected my Green Man design onto the back of the coat and transferred it. Tonight I begin working in the color!( Wonder provided me with lots and lots of super wonderful Lumiere metallic fabric paint I will try and take some creative process pictures too, since this is my first big fabric painting project ever.

Other then those projects cookin on the side it looks like I will be traveling back to California for the Holidays come Dec. 23rd. I'm very excited to be able to go back to my California roots, see the folks and grandfolks and maybe an old friend or two. It may also be nice to get away from this frigid weather for a week! Only, I really dread flying during the frenzied holiday travel season but I think I will handle it fine, especially since Danny will be coming with me.

Tonight Danny and I and our friends Kelly and Clay will be going to a local Shamanic Journey gathering where they will be using the traditional rapid eagle drum beat and guided meditation( not medication- typo sorry) to loose one another into journeys into the spirit realm. Last time Danny and I did it we were really blown away and had much to think upon. I'm excited to find out what tonight's journey may bring.

So wish us luck and be sure to keep cozy with loved ones on these chilly winter days!

Much love, always
-Chelsea Rose
Lucid Optic Lab
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Sold my first Painting+ SALE highlights and news

With only one day left before my solo show is taken down I finally sold one of my bigger paintings!

This morning as I was getting ready to get on my bus to work I noticed I had a missed call and voice mail. It turns out it was Tiffany Ruth the gallery owner calling to say that last night a woman walked into the gallery and bought one of my paintings. Apparently the women said for the past 2 months that the show has been up shes been window gazing and was really drawn that that particular piece. I'm so very pleased that she was compelled to buy the painting for herself and its a very exciting thing for me to know that it will be going to someone who will cherish it. So in the end I feel this art opening was a very good thing. Its sparked both mine and Tiffany's fire. She is thrilled that the show was successful, her being a new gallery owner on the scene and all. In the end we sold the piece above and 6 smaller acrylic/pen and ink paintings I did specially for the show. Coolness!
Come Thursday I will be going to the gallery to reclaim my unsold artwork. My goal is to get all of it into various local cafes, boutiques, bars and restaurants because i hardly have room for all of it in my tiny lil apartment and it really doesn't do any good to have them locked away in my lil cave anyway.

Danny designed me some new business cards that match the art portfolio website he made for me( http://www.chelsearoseart.com/ )....and these business cards will hopefully help me accomplish spreading out some of my artwork to the local business.
here is a comp so you can see what they look like:


I am very pleased with the way they turned out. We ordered them the other day so they should arrive in a few weeks.

In the meantime we are still doing our Holiday SALE in our etsy shop
So far we have sold 3 of the same exact thing during this first week of the sale:

the hot seller is: "Love thy Self" 5"x7" print of one of my original pen and ink drawings.
Its interesting that we have sold three of the same in a row...im curious to know what is drawing people to that particular print of mine.
click here to view the listing for this print.

Right now all of my art prints are on SALE!

Original price: $7
Grab them now for the Holidays for only $5
They come sealed in a crystal clear plastic sleeve to keep them safe. My prints are made on archival canson artist card paper( has a similar feel to watercolor paper). Makes a wonderful card, gift or decoration.
....So thats the featured SALE item for today!
Sale will be running through this month so please feel free to take advtanage of the prices!

Much love and best wishes, always!
-Chelsea Rose
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