Earth Goddess UPDATE

So it has been quite some time since I have shared with you the progress of my Earth Goddess body art photography series. So far I have painted 13 women for the series resulting in 10 photo shoot sessions.

Scrolling back through my blog posts It looks like the last photoshoot I shared on my blog was my Triple Goddess session which was my 6th photoshoot in the series( the first time I had painted and photographed three women in one session.)

So picking up where I left off, My 7th photoshoot was with the gorgeous India-born, Portland raised model and artist Maulie:

I was quite excited to have the chance to add an Indian woman to my Earth Goddess series, thus broadening the diversity represented.  And this location was one that I had picked out from the very beginning as a definite spot for an Earth Goddess shoot, but it had taken some time to find a model who was willing to trudge up the long vertical hike through soggy cliff sides and precarious foot bridges.

Maulie proved amazing despite the fact that it was early May, thus resulting in a cold rainy morning in the mountains which was certainly not the most comfortable time to be nude in the wild.

And here are a couple of the finished photos:

My 8th body painting/photo shoot session was with amazing Sonoko, a Japanese born, Hawaiian raised  intellectual and all around babe.

I painted and photographed her on Sauvie Island on the nude side of the beach during an intensely bright day in June. The harsh direct lighting proved a bit of a challenge during the photo shoot but we still came away with an amazing amount of breathtaking photos. And Sonoko later reported having some super crazy, spirally tan lines!

Check out a couple of the finished photos:

My 9th body painting/photoshoot session was with a strong and vibrant Puerto Rican woman from New York.  I photographed her in one of my most favorite spots along the northern oregon coast:

I particularly enjoy how she is connecting with the earth here as she runs her fingers through the sand.

And then I really enjoyed the way her hands worked to collaborate with the rocky horizon line.

My most recent body painting/photoshoot session was with super mama and model Monis Ayala:

I painted her inside a canopy we set up for some much needed shade and privacy during a particularly sunny and crowded day at Rooster Rock state park.

Luckily within the clothing optional section we found plenty of privacy as we made our way through the reeds and berry bushes till we came upon shady forest paths.

Her son was due any day, her womb so full and yet she had lots of energy and strength and was able endure the long hot hike like a true champion. I feel she really reflected the amazing rasiliance and beauty of the Mother Goddess / Mother Earth.

So whats next?

Well I am having a particularly hard time casting for a couple of the last photo shoots I have planned. I am in dire need of a pregnant black woman and a elderly black woman. I have had no luck casting for either of these models through my usual channels so I will have to find new ways of reaching out. If you know of someone who fits what I described above please feel free to send them my way. Otherwise, wish me luck!

Much love always,
-Chelsea Rose 

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New Pen and Ink drawings + weekend projects and news

3 day weekends are a total blessing, i got a lot of work done!
Too bad i was oblivious to this fact come Monday morning. I got up for work 10 mins after my alarm was to go off... so i threw on my clothes, grabbed a hard-boiled egg and ran out the door to get to my bus stop. Got there 2 mins early and waited....and waited...and waited and then thought to-myself " why have i only seen a few cars go bye? why is this Monday so eerily quiet?" And... then i looked across the street to a stores signboard that read " Happy Labor day!"
.... So i laughed at myself, went home, watched "Howls Moving Castle" for probably the 42nd time and did some drawing:

Original pen and ink drawing by Chelsea Rose

-this was drawn for a commission I am working on currently. A patron requested I do smaller somewhat more "approachable" version of my other tree maiden painting called Rainbow Roots Dread Goddess. Hopefully she likes this preliminary drawing and i will soon be painting her on canvas.

I like the drawing enough to be considering offering prints of her for sale. what do you think?

Saturday and Sunday were also project filled art days.

As you can see my art table got quite busy in the process which resulted in a few finished pieces done in my pen and ink over acrylic style.
And if you are curious about how i make these here is the scoop:

First i start out by painting a canvas or board with a single color of acrylic paint. I am then using india ink pens to draw directly ontop of the acrylic color. Often i am by hand reproducing some of my original drawings this way and because of this hands on process each one comes out slightly different in lineweight and detail. I have found this process works really well in creating an elegant and original art piece that i can sell for a very affordable price.
I have many more available for purchase in my etsy shop.

Also, over the weekend i had fun matting and framing some of my recent 4" x 6" watercolor paintings:

......i found it really interesting how different the paintings looked when framed! Honestly its the first time i have nicely framed any of my work and i really enjoyed it. Too bad matting and framing can be so expensive because it can really make a huge difference presentation wise.

...Anyhow the ongoing list of projects continue. For this week's Friday blogpost i will be showing a step by step "work in progress" documentation involving silk screening and the drawing fluid method.
I also have a few body painting sessions coming up so stay tuned.

Best wishes,
-Chelsea Rose
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