Pt. 1 -Tales of the North American Bodypainting Championships

NOTE: This is transcribed from my original iphone note - date 2/11/10

This morning we bid North Carolina adieu and hopped a plane bound for Vegas to spend Valentine's Day weekend amidst throngs of the betrothed looking to seal the deal on the most commercially romantic day of the year. I wonder what that many newlywed couples will look like and if dauntingly long lines of them will keep me from reaching the best food at the buffet.

We're flying over the Rocky Mountains right now and I'm enjoying time to muse over what the weekend will hold. Once we land, there won't be much time to spare, I imagine.

Joined together with common purpose in this odyssey, Scott, Kristen and I are on our way to compete in the first ever North American Bodypainting Championships at The Flamingo on the Strip. Scott is the main designer and as such, we compete under his name. I will assist in painting and our friend Kristen has come along to be the model. I created all the headpieces she will wear in advance and as assistant, I may also do her hair/nails/eylashes as well as base coat painting. To make the most of what I'm allowed to do, Scott has designed a fairly elaborate plan for the base coating.

This is our first foray into the world of competition, mainly at my urging. Up til now, Scott has been quite content to make art and has never considered competing. I'm not even certain he knows why someone would want to. I was raised doing competitive sports (figure skating/equestrian) and am used to working hard to attain goals within that kind of structure. I haven't pushed to do this because I feel we must seek victory but rather to find out where we stand within this world community. I also really want this opportunity to network with people who feel as strongly about this art form as we do, artists we might never encounter otherwise.

Certainly we're in good company and they're turning out in droves, too. Our category, "Brush & Sponge" has been capped at 70 competitors, all of whom paint tomorrow. Another 70 "Airbrush" painters will have a go at it on Saturday. The top 25 from each category go on to Sunday's finals. Do I think we'll be among those painting again on Valentine's Day (Sun)? I have high hopes and believe strongly in our art but I lack the experience on which to gauge how it all might go.

At this point we're as prepared as we're going to be and fortunate to have a model who had enough frequent-flyer miles to accompany us. All the tools of the trade necessary for turning Kristen into a divine fantasy creation are checked in the belly of the plane, which is beginning it's descent. The bright dessert afternoon spreads out beyond the tiny window to my left and the possibilities seem as endless as the landscape.