Karala Barendregt - The Human Canvas: The Worlds Best Body Paintings

They were full of acceptance and patience. They were truly in a place of nonjudgment. Brian and Nick were enjoying a highly awarded arts career together as well as spreading their talent through teaching around the world. In July 2012 I was sitting with artists in the week running up to the World Bodypainting Festival when Nick and Brians absence was noticed. The news spread through the room like fire that Brian had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. There was such an outpouring of love for this man and a desire to do everything possible to help.

And so this book came into being. Through the great efforts of many artist friends and colleagues, a group of artists has come together to share what they do best in support of one of their own. Sadly, Brian passed away in October 2013, leaving behind a wife, daughter, brother and family as well as many friends around the world who were touched by his life. Proceeds from every sale of this book will go to Brians dear wife.
With love and admiration,
KARALA B. Imagine a painter who can create an image from an idea in the fullness of color, design and expression, and then imagine this artist asking their canvas to sing, dance or scream. ARTIST BRIAN WOLFE | PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD DELIANTONI, F+W

Some of those cultures are still practicing their traditions today; some we know only through the records of history and the paintings on cave walls. Traditional cultures using body art demonstrate common links between history, spirituality and the body. Ceremonies are used in every culture to commemorate birth, death, weddings and coming of age. Covering the body with symbols and imagery increases the potency of ritual by clothing the skin in thoughts and emotions. Painting onto the body is a process of transformation and enlargement of the soul. Many styles and uses for body art can be seen over this great expanse of time.

The interesting fact is that it has been used on every continent around the world, and linking themes run through these styles of art. Humans have had a natural connection to creating art on our bodies, and its no surprise that modern forms of art are reinterpreting the ancient practices and expressions. The root of bodypainting today comes from those traditional civilizations. The modern-day culture of body art reaches around the world throughout many countries and industries. It is an art form that is as diverse in its uses as in its styles and techniques. Many artists are now using body art to return to a more spiritual connection with their way of life and are rediscovering how their expression can bring meaning to their lives.

The bodypainting artist is not just an artist; they are a painter, a conceptualist, a choreographer, a director and a photographer. Bodypainting has many uses in many different areas of work. A visual artist may move into bodypainting to give their art a life of its own. A performer may take up bodypainting to create an illusion around their character that is not possible with just makeup and costume. Fashion can be heightened when makeup moves into bodypaint, and the film industry can never have enough special effects in living color. All of these are forms of expression.

From the moment we become self-aware, we take action in the presentation of our being. We are human. We are a complex and brilliant concoction of thoughts, actions, dreams, fears and history. We use our presentation and expression as a tool. When we choose to analyze the culture we come from and the way this affects our personal presentation of self, we take control of the image we project to the outside world. ARTIST EINAT DAN | PHOTOGRAPHER STEFANO BOTTESI ARTIST SCOTT FRAY | PHOTOGRAPHER GABRIELE STEINER

This event hosts the World Bodypainting Championships and has distinguished and encouraged the different aspects of the art form. The festival itself is such a melting pot of artistic talent that many artists count it as one of the forces behind the growth of their careers. Receiving hundreds of hours of broadcast time internationally each year, the World Bodypainting Festival has taken a little-known art form and carried it into the consciousness of everyday people on almost every continent. For a week, thousands of artists, models, performers, photographers and film producers converge on a small town on a lake to take part in events, parties, shows and three days of competition at the highest level in a wide range of categories. This spectacle of the worlds best special effects, bodypainting and costume artists performing on the main stage is accompanied by international music acts, a fashion show, photography and a range of live entertainment. The World Bodypainting Association has grown parallel to the festival and supports artists in their careers.

Association members travel the world lecturing on body art in schools and universities and at trade shows with the media. The association also works as an agency and has set up many amazing advertising and artistic collaborations between artists, companies, galleries and events. It is hard to imagine the depth of experience available at an event such as this. More than a thousand artworks are created for competition and stage shows. These are photographed and filmed extensively by seven hundred photographers, and months of creative editing follow the event each year.