Howard Schatz sent us his series “Human Body” with this text.
I have been working on a “Human Body” project that looks like body painting but isn’t.
Body painting, when done well by a skilled and talented make-up artist working with airbrushes, body makeup and other tools often takes many hours, if not all day. The event ties up the stdio so that not much else can be accomplished. Also, once a body is painted, that’s it; further exploration and discovery, the essential seeds of creativity, are only minimally possible.
For this current project, I’m the “painter.” Using post production techniques, especially Photoshop, I adorn and cover the body fitting my own creative tastes. Exploring and experimenting is “play,” and the possibilities infinite. Most “trials” don’t work: I move on, opened to examining others.
Working hard to create imagery to surprise and delight myself, never knowing if or when it will happen and on only rare occasions, the creative gods astonish and bless, generously.
The 10 images included in this post came from the “creative play” that digital post production allows and is not possible with body painting. I feel they are “gifts.”
I am grateful to the models, dancers and body-builders who trusted me.
In future posts I will share some of the process, its twists and turns, the dead ends and the rare, unexpected discoveriesthat make the process so rewarding.
Howard Schatz
