Throw back Thursday - Blue Peter Guest Appearance.

I have been working on updating my website recently and while I was searching for videos to include I found this blast from the past clip from my appearance on Blue Peter while browsing youtube and it was too good not to share. (scroll down for clip) Back in 2004 I was invited to be a guest on legendary British Childrens TV Show "Blue Peter". I had watched Blue Peter since I was a small child, and was excited to be on the show and to see how the show was filmed. 

I was painting one of the Blue Peter presenters, Gethin Jones, to vanish into the studio set, featuring the famous ship. Camouflage bodypainting is quite complicated and takes a lot of technical skill. It is very difficult to move models out of position and get them back perfectly to vanish. Normally when you paint models to blend into a background you paint them and them shoot the film or photo shoot immediately, but this was a live show, and the schedule meant it was not going o be able to happen that way. Gethin was only available to be painted for 3 and a half hours in the morning and had a series of meetings and rehearsals to go to during the day and the show went out live at 6.30pm. Clearly it was time to get creative. 

The majority of traditional body paints would simply rub off or be degenerated over time under Gethin's clothes when we went to his meetings. There was a minuscule amount of time for retouches. In the time since 2004 there are many many new professional bodypaint products on the market which would have the durability needed for this task, but back then there was less choice. I would not consider using products not meant for use on skin (even though there may have been some out there that would solve the problem) so in the end after lots of trials of products on my own arms and legs I used Temptu's Dura line painted both with an airbrush and by hand. The retouch time was used to paint Gethin's face with water based make-up. I used Wolfe FX for it's durability and strong pigmented colours. I also used Wolfe for some touch ups on the body here and there to make the design really pop. 

Although this may not be the most detailed camouflage bodypaint I have done, with the limitations on time and the structure of the day, it was one of the most difficult. Working on a Live TV show like Blue Peter was very exhilarating. No chance for retakes, or retouches, or mistakes. I Loved the fact that the BBC were happy to show bodypainting on a children's TV show as something interesting that children may be interested in learning about or learning how to do. I wrote a piece for the CBBC website about Facepainting and how to learn how to do it safely and well as a segway for children and parents interested in becoming involved in face and body art. They also showed lots of stills of my work in my intro on the show with body paintings of nude and near nude people without so much as a blink. It is still refreshing to see this great attitude to bodypaint not as a sexualised thing, but as a creative wonder. 

Blue Peter presenters Konnie Huq, Gethin Jones and Bodypainter Emma Cammack

Anyone reading from the UK will know Blue Peter, It has run on the BBC since 1958 and is the longest running children's TV show in the world. As a child I dreamed of winning a Blue Peter Badge and entered contests sending in pictures of my art over the years to do so but was never successful. One of the things I had not realised when I agreed to be on the show was that as a guest I would be presented with my own Blue Peter badge. So at the age of 30 I earned my Blue Peter badge and had my art featured on the show, which was the culmination of a childhood dream. I still have my badge proudly displayed in my studio.

The clip below shows part of the feature on the show showing time lapse film of myself and my assistant Tara painting Gethin while I am interviewed by Konnie Huq. 

Skin Wars Fresh Paint Announcement

GSN Have just announced a Skin Wars spin off show called Skin Wars Fresh Paint. The show will be hosted by RuPaul, and features my self and Mat Gleason as judges. Check out the GSN Press release below. 

Skin Wars Fresh Paint Press Release

SKIN WARS: FRESH PAINT is executive produced by Michael Levitt of Michael Levitt Productions (“Skin Wars,” “Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List,” “Ask Oprah’s All Stars”), Jill Goularte, Kate Kenny and RuPaul Charles.  

Skin Wars now on HULU

You can watch Season 1 and 2 of Skin Wars now on HULU. Fantastic news as now I can watch the rest of Season 2. Love the show and seeing all the amazing art being created. Look out for my Bodypainting in the opening credits and look out for me in Season one, Episode 2.

Here is my episode from Season 1 for those of you with a HULU subscription

Living Art America - Last few days to submit your work for the qualifying rounds.

If you were considering being part of the amazing event that is Living Art America then this is your last chance! They are accepting entries from interested artists for the next two days, this year in a new set up entries will go through a jury process, then a public vote to choose which artists will take the limited spaces at the event. Do not miss your chances to take part. The DEADLINE is in 2 days on 15th July. ALL competitors who meet the panel's criteria will be posted in our new public online voting gallery, so NO APPLICATIONS ACCEPTED after July 15th. 

I am honoured this year to be part of the qualifying round panel of experts for the submission process along with some amazing names from the bodypainting world. 

http://www.livingartamerica.com/qualifying-round-panel-of-experts

World Bodypainting Festival Official Installation Art Gallery

The World Bodypainting Festival has published a gallery with a selection of favourite images from the Installation Award.

Enjoy

Image: Agnieszka Glinska

http://gallery.wb-production.com/World-Bodypainting-Festival/WBF-2015/Festival-Main-Days/Best-of-Gallery-01/Installation-Art

SKIN WARS is going Global!!!

I was commissioned to create piece for the opening titles of the show SKIN WARS and was a Guest Judge last year on Season 1. Skin Wars is a reality TV Knock out competition for Bodypainters, featuring Rebecca Romijin, Ru Paul, Craig Tracy and Robin Slonina. So many people have asked if it will be shown in the UK or Europe. Well here it comes... UK and European channels buy Skin Wars Show.  

Tru TV in the UK as well as other European Channels have bought the rights to show it. So, coming soon to a Screen Near YOU!!!

My camouflage bodypainting for the Skin Wars opening titles, concept by Jill Goularte. 

For those of you who have not heard about it yet, Skin Wars is a US Reality TV Show created by Jill Goularte and Michael Levitt at Michael Levitt Production for GSN. It features 10 Bodypainters in a last man standing elimination contest for $100,000. In the US they are currently showing season 2 and casting for season 3. So lots of paint and drama to follow. http://skinwars.gsntv.com/

Pinterest Board for The Coalescence of Creation Installation

We have received so many amazing images from visitors to The Coalescence of Creation Installation at the World Bodypainting Festival that we have created a Pinterest Board to share images from it. Please add any images you may have or simply view more fabulous pictures there. Many more will be added over the next few days.
Follow Emma's board Coalescence of Creation - Body Art Yarn Bomb at World Bodypainting Festival 2015 on Pinterest.
       

The Coalescence of Creation Installation - The Family Heirloom Tree

The Coalescence of Creation our Body Art Yarn Bomb Installation at the World Bodypainting Festival features many stories, characters and elements. Over the next few posts we will introduce your to some of our favourite pieces. 

The Family Heirloom Tree from The Coalescence of Creation. Award winning Installation Art by Emma Cammack from the World Bodypainting Festival 2015. Sponsored by Cameleon Bodypaint.

The Family Heirloom Tree is made up from precious pieces passed down to our family and lovingly kept. Filled with personal memories of childhood, family, love and loss. The large lace table cloth was collected by my husband years ago in Turkey and has held a special place in family meals and celebrations, the place mats were crocheted by my Grandfather and Grandmother Fred and Kathleen Cammack, both of whom were huge inspirations to me. The Baby blanket was one gifted to us on the birth of our first child by my husband's family, the baby birds represent my husband's beautiful older sister Christine who he never met, but is forever in our hearts. Her baby mittens have been turned into chicks and nestle in a nest made from one of my husband's hats. Family ties, family threads that bind us are represented by this tree, those we wish were here but are not and watch us from heaven. This is a tree filled with love, one that i am sure made my Grandfather smile down on us.

 Nesting chicks by Emma Cammack, 

from vintage baby mittens belonging to Christine Harre

  Nesting chicks by Emma Cammack, 

from vintage baby mittens belonging to Christine Harre

        Gecko made by Victoria Mitchell

The tree features baby blankets, shawls and table cloths, runners and mats passed down from relatives to our family and treasured and reminders of family and childhood.  

The tree features baby blankets, shawls and table cloths, runners and mats passed down from relatives to our family and treasured and reminders of family and childhood.  

The Coalescence of Creation is a Body Art Yarn Bomb Installation piece featured as part of the World Bodypainting Festival, Austria, 2015. The Installation won 1st Place in the Special Awards, Installation Art Award. 

To view more art by Emma Cammack visit www.emmacammack.com

#wbf2015 #emmacammack #bodypainting #yarnbomb #bodyartyarnbomb #worldbodypaintingfestival #cameleonbodypaint #crochetcrazy

The Coalescence of Creation

The Coalescence of Creation

An alternative environment of handcrafted wonder. Trees enveloped in brightly coloured yarns, a canopy of crochet circles letting light dapple through their bright colours to the woodland floor. Our need to create as beings is innate, in built, inescapable.  Not only the human brain needs to make, create, build and nest, represented here are creatures who build their own environments. Homes crafted from twigs, leaves, silk and mud. Butterflies and caterpillars in their cocoons, various birds nesting, spider’s webs, squirrel’s drays, fox’s burrows, rabbit holes, ant nests. Amongst the brightly coloured trees creatures hide, knitted birds in their knitted nests, Crochet butterflies emerging from crochet cocoons, woven spiders sitting on their silken spun webs, knitted and woven flowers bloom all around.

In our lives we also weave threads of connection. Threads that join us all like a spiders web. Threads span from North, South, East and West, wrapping around the world and uniting here in this coalescent representation of world community. Numerous Artists, young and old, of many creeds, cultures and colours, coming together to create this alternate environment of colour, space and light to represent our world community. From within this world created from yarns, threads, silks and strings emerge colourful dancers who embody the threads of creation themselves dancing a human maypole dance of co-operation, co-existence and creation. The dance embodies life weaving between our fellow earth dwellers, creating ties that bind, close knit, apron strings. Our lives are colourful threads weaving together in an ever changing tapestry of community. Nature gave us all this instinct to build and create. Nature is in us. Nature is around us. We are Nature. We are Art. We are all equal. We are community. We are life.

Come and see our installation in Bodypaint City at the World Bodypainting Festival, Portschach am Worthersee, Austria. http://www.bodypainting-festival.com/en/

You are all invited to our presentation at 5.30pm on Saturday 4th July.

Art Installation at the World Bodypainting Festival

Art Installation at the World Bodypainting Festival

This year I am lucky enough to be creating an Installation at the World Bodypainting Festival. Last year as we drove home we were flooded with ideas for creating something amazing. My daughter, Isobel, was full of crazy pie in the sky dreams of knitted trees and all kinds of incredible things. Fort he nine hour drive home we pondered the possibilities... And then, a few months later after a chat with Alex Barendregt, the festival organiser, we decided to do it. So for the last 7 months I have been working towards realising those dreams from that long journey.

Coalescence of Creation

Trees enveloped in brightly coloured yarns, a canopy of crochet circles letting light dapple through their bright colours to the woodland floor. Amongst the brightly coloured trees creatures hide, knitted birds in their knitted nests, Crochet butterflies emerging from crochet cocoons, woven spiders sitting on their silken spun webs, knitted and woven flowers bloom all around. From within this world created from yarns, threads, silks and strings emerge colourful dancers who embody the threads of creation themselves dancing a human maypole dance of co-operation, co-existence and creation. 

Our dreams were to create an alternate reality fashioned from colour and light. We dreamed of multi-coloured trees, of swings wrapped in knitted flowers, of sunlight dappling onto the woodland floor in stained glass patterns through a brightly crocheted canopy of colour. Hand crafted figures, and creatures hidden on branches, knitted flowers growing in the ground. Hand crafted, yarn bombed nature, with the crystal waters of Worthersee and the mountains in the background.

One drawback was that although my Grandfather had taught me how to crochet when I was small, I had entirely forgotten the skill, my knitting was also rusty. So I set out to relearn, and to find fibre artists who would want to join in to make something amazing. So far we have over 100 fibre artists from more than 15 countries who have created pieces for the Installation. Some are young, a group of Girl Scouts from the USA, some old, retired crafters crafting in their retirement home. Many many people of both sexes and all ages. I will share per the next few days some information about some of the amazing artists who have become part of this journey. Creating this piece has truly been a community effort and brings together artists of many creeds and colours from across the globe.

We look forward to building and sharing our Installation with you. Join us at 5.30 on Saturday 4th July for our presentation in Bodypaint City.

Building the Coalescence of Creation our Yarn Bombed Bodypaint Art Installation.

Building the Coalescence of Creation our Yarn Bombed Bodypaint Art Installation. 

We have hundreds of pieces made by artists around the world. Here are just a few as they were made or arrived in the mail! This project has truly been a thrill each and every day. Thank you to all the amazing artists who have created something however big or small for it. 

Come and see our Installation in Bodypaint City at the World Bodypainting Festival. Our presentation is on Saturday 4th July at 5.30pm, but swing by anytime and say hello, we will be there. Why not come and make something with us, we have a crafting corner in our build so anyone can stop by and create something to add. No skill required!! 

Meet Leon...

Meet Leon, 

Leon is our installation mascot, part of the Cameleon Bodypaint Family. He will be keeping his beady eye on you during your visit to the World Bodypainting Festival. Remember Leon is watching you....

Leon was created by the fabulous Sam Phillips from a pattern by Martina Lûžová / Nellagold. Sam is one of the over 85 textile artists from all over the world who have creates pieces for this installation. Thank you Sam!!

Come and visit us in Bodypaint City, make something and add it to the installation, and do not forget to come to our presentation at 5.30 on Saturday 4th July. 

Leon is waiting to meet you....

Leon is waiting to meet you.... 

Come and meet him and his friends at my Installation at the World Bodypainting Festival. 

The wonderful Leon was created by the incredible Sam Phillips.