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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Vancouver Art in the Heart, mermaid painting in progress + more Wise Woman body painting photos

Had a wonderful weekend of art vending localized in Vancouver Washington- Oregon's close but often neglected neighbor who has quickly grown into a hub of the arts.
On Friday Danny and I drove over the bridge to Vancouver for "Craft in the Village" which happens each first Friday of the month.
Then on Saturday we made the drive over the bridge again and set up for "Art in the Heart" right outside of the Guerrilla Gallery where i am currently having 7 of my paintings on display:

My paintings will be up for viewing during this month of August.
Come check it out in person at Guerrilla Gallery -1001 Main St. (Upstairs)Vancouver, WA 98660

It was my first time participating in the "Art in the Heart" festival but i had great fun rockin to the live music and chatting with the local artists.

And here is a quick snapshot of our set up:

It was an overcast day that managed to still be rather hot so i was again super happy to have my sunhat with me( this thing, as obviously huge as it is has saved me so many times this summer!)

I also made use of my time by working on my mermaid painting:

I like this shot of Danny's because you can see a slice of Vancouver in it. I love it's super old red brick buildings and calm small town vibe. I wish i could move to Vancouver and rent out one of these wonderfully huge live/work studio spaces in these surrounding old warehouse redbrick buildings. Vancouver's cost of living is significantly better then Oregon however i have been told its almost impossible to find a job. Ah well...a girl can dream.

I got a lot of work done on my mermaid while i was there. I added side fins, as seen in this photo but later on in the day i also added a lot more on her upper/hip fin area. I will take some more "work in progress photos" soon to share. I plan on putting a brigade of bubbles in the distance to hopefully hint at some depth. It is always a lot of fun to do "live painting" at these art events- it always creates a lot of interest. I love the exchange of conversation to be had over a work in progress piece. I had a very young lil lady come over and ask me if i had named the mermaid yet. I had not yet named her so i asked what she would name her. She said "I would name her Amber after the beautiful colors of her scales!"

So yes, "Art in the Heart" was a wonderful experience.

Sunday I reserved for some much needed "home body" time. I did some patio gardening, some much needed TLC in the art room- straightened everything up so that i can work in it again! The summer wreaks havoc on the art room because it gets torn apart every time we have an art fair to attend. Also managed to take a trip downtown to the "Saturday market" to say bye bye to an amazing artist and friend Anna Tadaro. She is moving to Chicago and will be missed by many!

Also, i wanted to share two more photos i posted recently from my body painting/photography session with Suzanne Owens-Duval:

(body painting and photography by Chelsea Rose
Model: Suzanne Owens-Duval)
I just love how strong and confident this pose is!


(body painting and photography by Chelsea Rose
Model: Suzanne Owens-Duval)
....and this one thrills me with how happy and comfortable she is in her skin- loving herself for who and what she is, loving and living life to the fullest!

A dear friend of mine recently suggested i pick up the book "Women Who Run With The Wolves” by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, PH.D and i have found it to be extremely inspiring and perfect fuel for the creative fires for the women's study body painting project that i have been working on.

I found this quote from the book to go perfectly with the two photos of mine above:

“A healthy woman is much like a wolf: robust, chock-full, strong life force, life giving, territorially aware, inventive, loyal, roving. Yet separation from the wildish nature causes a woman’s personality to become meager, thin, ghostly, spectral. We are not meant to be puny with frail hair and inability to leap up, inability to chase, to birth, to create life. When Women’s lives are in stasis, ennui, it is always time for the wildish woman to emerge; it is time for the creating function of the psyche to flood the delta.”
- Clarissa Pinkola Estes.

Truth be told!

....more updates soon.
Best wishes,
-Chelsea Rose
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3 day weekend of art- body painting, art fairs and new acrylic on canvas!

Thank goodness for 3 day weekends! I got so much done and even had time to play and have some fun too.
....I have a lot of photos to share but i am going to start with what i am most excited to post: my new body painting photos:


Wise Woman
(body painting and photography by Chelsea Rose
Model:Suzanne Owens-Duval )

I feel blessed to have been able to work with Suzanne and include her in this growing women's study art project of mine.
A few weeks back i realized that my body painting project had a lot going for it: a wide rang of body type, ethnicity and culture but was missing a nice range of age. With this realization in mind i posted a craigslist ad asking for elderly women who might be interested in participating in my project. I only got one response and that was from my model Suzanne who turned out to be a super vivacious and skilled professional actor for screen and stage!


Wise Woman
(body painting and photography by Chelsea Rose
Model: Suzanne Owens-Duval)

We did the body painting in the loft of T.Ruth Artspace gallery on Sunday- walking down the stairs to stand in front of the backdrop on the main floor of the gallery. As always it was wondrous getting to know my model and it was uncanny how much we had in common in thoughts, feelings and intention. She seemed to have a real love for life and was well equipped to roll with life's punches through the years. We both agreed that everything happens for a reason and there is little point in regretting things. We also seemed to think that the body is a person's temple and that as women age the beauty matures and changes anew- our bodies becoming road maps showing the signs of a life lived well and to the fullest.


Wise Woman
(body painting and photography by Chelsea Rose
Model: Suzanne Owens-Duval)

I took over 500 photos of Suzanne in little over an hour and a half and i have been having a wonderful time in my spare moments this past weekend sifting through the shots and polishing the keepers. Needless to say, there will be more coming soon!

Now, jumping back to Friday...i wanted to share a quick snapshot of our simple set up for Craft In the Village:

Danny picked me up early from work so that we could drive on over to Vancouver Washington to participate for our second time in their "Craft in the Village" art vending event. It was predicted to rain but that sure didn't stop us! Our lil fair still went strong with live music and a dozen or more vendors braving the storm. It did rain buckets for an half an hour but we survived and were rewarded with blue sky and sun for the rest of the day. We did pretty well on sales considering! And as always it was wonderful fun to meet and hang out with all the other local artists.

On Saturday Danny and I watched T.Ruth Artspace gallery ( since our dear friend and the gallery owner is re cooperating from surgery.) Of course we had a blast greeting the people who walked in to enjoy the art. While i was there i did a lot of painting- which Danny had fun documenting:

The night before i had painted this basic background and inked a faery onto it using my fabercastell India ink pens. I brougth the canvas in and set up my tote easel and got to work.

I always start with the eyes!

can you tell my favorite things to draw and paint are lips and eyes?

....i like this photo- it shows how much my dreads have been growing!

....almost done! just working on the wings and then i need to go over everything again with another layer of shading and highlight!
goodness....this post is picture heavy...

On Sunday we had a surprise visit from two dear friends who have been living in southern Oregon on a beautiful stretch of land. We all made dinner together( fresh herb salad with home made pesto sauce and tortellinis)...then we all hung out on the patio as the sun set. Then they baked the most delicious cookies and we sat around watching episode upon episode of Avatar the Last Air Bender as i dreaded one of the dear fellow's mohawk!

All in all it was a wonderful few days!

Now that the new week is here i am looking forward to finishing up the painting i started on Saturday and hopefully beginning a new one. More photos from my "Wise Woman" shoot should be up soon.

Best wishes and much love,
-Chelsea Rose
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Body Painting plans, Political Stencil Art and an Interview

Happy Friday All!
So, quite honestly I wasn't all that productive this week. I did manage to do some pen and ink over acrylic paintings, however they are quite unfinished and i was a bit shy about showing them in their undone state since they are commissions.
However, I have big plans for Sunday- another body painting/photo shoot for my women's study project!

( body painting process photo by Danny )
So come on down to T.Ruth Artspace gallery and hang out/drink some tea and watch as i do a body painting and photo shoot live. I will be starting the body painting around 10am and wont probably be done till 3pm or 4pm( yes it does take quite a lot of time and energy!) I will then take about an hour or two to photograph the result downstairs in front of the gallery's main windows with the model in front of a backdrop.
( body painting process photo by Danny )
This is going to be my 3rd white paint over a dark skinned model so i am super jazzed. It will also be the 10th body painting i have done for the series....and i hope to keep going with this and see where it takes me! I have booked another body painting photo shoot for July 4th. I will be painting a wonderfully charismatic elderly woman. I am very excited to start adding a more widened age range within this project for i feel it important to show that women as they age tend to mature in beauty and energy- their bodies changing to show the signs of a life lived and fully actualized- a profound beauty that i feel should be cherished but that is often forsaken in our society and media. So hang in there- i am aiming on taking this project to new levels!

I also wanted to share some of Danny's recent creations: Political stencil art on records

from top to bottom:

STOP THE 5 WARS! Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia.
WAR IS OVER when the profit stops.
CAUTION-police state.

He also just recently came out with 3 more that i love:

Babylon system is the vampire.


Peaceful Meditation.


Freedom!

I feel they do capture truths about movements within our world right now that have been coming to head for some time. I often feel political art is muchly needed in a time where the media is corrupt- we need to hear each other's independent voices and cries. Its essential for our local and global communities to have dialogue about these things so that we can prepare to enact or jubilantly be inspired to make grievously important changes in our personal beings, live styles as well as governmental affairs. What ever happen to For the people, By the people? or for our constitution for that matter? or our supposed global commitment to human rights?
To see more of Danny's work click here.

Hey! check this out:
I filled out a questioner for a fellow blogger about " Being an artist in a bad economy."
Click here to read the interview.

One last bit of show and tell:

...went out with a box of wild flower seed and romped about after a good rain. i hope the seeds take.
this is the sadly unused piece of land that my patio looks down onto. I want to turn it into a community garden but i first have to figure out how to get in contact with the owner. From what i understand from local rumor...he is a dentist who does not plan to build anything for a few years... land is such a commodity and i feel its essential to make use of- to make food and build community. I personally want to be a lot less reliant on mass production and consumer goods. I hope to become more self reliant and im trying to take steps to do so in this heightened consumersitic society. I find i am greatly encouraged and inspired by other like minded souls who seem to be growing in numbers around the country!

Wish me luck for Sunday's body painting. I am sure my Monday blog post will be filled with process shots and a finished photo or two from the shoot.

PEACE n LOVE,
-Chelsea Rose
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Busy Weekend: New Body painting photos and more

We had a super fun and busy weekend.
On Friday we went to the closing reception of the 5th annual Portland Love show where we ran into friends and enjoyed the evening. Turns out we sold the art piece that Danny and I put in under our collaboration name: Lucid Optic Lab.
Here is the snapshot of the piece hanging on the wall before it sold:

Our piece is the black and white photograph with a dash of red in it. Its from the "Your Body is Your Temple" body painting session that I did a couple months ago.
You can see the piece by its self here.

Speaking of body painting, on Saturday I did another session!
This was my second White paint on Dark skin body painting:

(body painting and photography by Chelsea Rose
Model: Thierra )
Meet Thierra who is an aspiring clothing/wardrobe designer as well as a single mother of two. Her clothing label name is Rebel Heiress.

I painted her in the loft of T.Ruth Artspace gallery
This time the body painting took a lot less time, we were all super surprised.
I suppose the more I do these body paintings the faster I will be able to bust them out.
We went down stairs and started photographing around 1:30pm and were done around 3:00pm.
After that Danny and I went home, cooked lunch and relaxed. These body paintings are so much fun but they seem to leave me exhausted. I have at least 3 more white paint on dark skin shoots that i need to complete before i an consider this project finished.
This coming weekend I have a black on light skin shoot with a wonderful local woman who has only one hand. She seems to have a super strong spirit and I cant wait to work with her!
More pictures will be coming soon!

On Sunday Danny and I did some chores and took a short hike up one of the forest park trails. When we got home we started working on art projects:

here i am in my tiny home studio space, working on these pen and ink drawings that i have been doing ontop of acrylic painted canvas. I managed to prep a lot of surfaces for drawing on, so now i have a big pile that i need to begin to ink. In this photo you can see me working on one, going over my initial lines and adding more line weight and detail to the piece. Both the purple one i am working on and the blue cat pen and ink are a part of a custom order that i am filling.

Let me know if you'd like to have one of these made in a certain color with a perticular drawing of mine. I would be delighted to create one for you!

Danny has just released some more of his music under the project name Bone and All:

thats the cover art for this EP that he made for Bone and All "Masters of the Universal Mind LP "
If you are a fan of trippy, psychedelicness then youd love his musical concoctions.
Have a listen to his music at bonesandall.myspace.com or downland and listen here

So thats about it.
When I get home today I will be listing some more tie dye in our etsy shop as well as listing some of the pen and ink drawings over acrylic that i finished over the weekend.
Also, stay tuned for more pictures from the latest body painting shoot.

Much love!
-Chelsea Rose
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