July 23, 2017
Washington Square was filled with people yesterday enjoying a hot NYC Saturday afternoon. Many of them were there for the 4th Annual Bodypainting Day, presented by Human Connection Arts and sponsored by paintmaker Kryolan.
Event organizer Carol Sumkin told the Gazette that there were about 40 artists and 50 models signed up. The theme was “Humanity” and Carol said that it was especially relevant today for folks to appreciate our similarities rather than our differences.
Sara S. is a NYC artist who said she’s pretty new to bodypainting. She figure paints, sculpts, and studies anatomy. Her work today played off that background as she painted nerves, bronchi, bones and muscles onto her model. At her feet lay an anatomical atlas for reference. “It inspires my creative process to work in this medium,” Sara shared.
Muralist and veteran bodypainter Jim Houba came up from Tom’s River, NJ to do his thing. Jim’s is a regular at Key West’s annual Fantasy Fest where his art helps make the Fest special. “I like to bring my artwork and talent to the human form,” Jim told the Gazette.
MJ has been painting people for 3 or 4 years and this was her first time with Human Connection Arts. She leans toward Halloween style and abstract. MJ said she’s originally from Malawi and is currently from Jersey City. “Art connects people,” she added.
Human Arts Connection Executive Director Andy Golub had a busy afternoon making announcements, directing traffic and doing a bit of bodypainting himself. “It’s a fun event with a lot of bright colors and different bodies to look at. But it’s also an important opportunity for artists to share their feelings about humanity with the public at large. I am excited to see what they will come up with.”
Carin, an artist in from Hudson Valley has been bodypainting for 6 years. She painted at the Times Square bodypainting event earlier this summer. “You can’t get much more live art than the human body. It’s an uplifting and transformational process,” she said. David came all the way from Ohio for the event, his first. He told the Gazette that he was feeling both vulnerable and brave, as he was being painted. New Jersey based artist George Jibin has 2 years experience in this medium and Saturday was his first Bodypainting Day. “It’s a nice experience and a big crowd. It shows there’s nothing bad bout the human body. You need to be nude to get sunlight,” he pointed out.
Following the painting session the artists and models strolled over to the fountain and the arch, past hundreds of people, some of whom had apparently wandered into the park unaware that it was Bodypainting Day.
