A colourful body of work
by Charlotte Knottenbelt
From
the ochre used by Indigenous Australians to henna body art in India,
body paint has been used over the centuries by societies the world over
for reasons ranging from the spiritual to the political. Perhaps spurred
on by that famous Vanity Fair cover featuring Demi Moore in a painted-on
business suit, body painting has recently undergone a surge in
popularity in the western world and UniSA multimedia tutor Kirstie
Wyatt is a part of that movement.
Kirstie has been body painting for almost a decade, a natural progression from her work as an industry makeup artist and graphic designer. Aided by designer Simone Linehan and photographer Andrew Dunbar, she's recently developed a series of greeting cards featuring her work on the tummies of pregnant women.
One
of the driving forces for me is that there's so much out there that focuses
on babies, but very little to celebrate the mother, says Kirstie. This is
about allowing pregnant women to have a bit of fun with their bodies and
create lasting memories of this special time in their lives.
Turtles, ladybirds, snowmen, fish bowls and bikini-clad babes are just some of the different characters Kirstie has brought to life on the bodies of the many pregnant women who have offered their bodies as canvases.
While finding pregnant women to be models was initially a challenge for my first series I found models via a friend of a friend who was married to a gynaecologist, she laughs Kirstie has found that as word spreads more and more women are keen to immortalise their bulging bellies by being painted and photographed.
She's now developing a website www.paintedbellies.com.au featuring her work, and is keen to take the concept as far as she can.
My
dream is for the images to become widely available in the way that Anne
Geddes' baby cards are, she says.
It's an ambitious plan but one that is entirely achievable, if Kirstie's
bountiful supply of energy and enthusiasm are anything to go by.
I feel very blessed that everything I do is creative. Combining make up, graphic design, teaching and body painting is a juggling act, but I thrive on that, she says. If I was a millionaire I'd still be doing it.
Five to Nine is a column about UniSA staff members who have an interesting hobby or passion outside of work. If you'd like to see someone you know profiled, email your idea to unisa.news@unisa.edu.au