Christine Turpin with one of her models at Fabaic.
Image Credit: Submitted/ Christine Turpin
August 03, 2017 - 9:00 PM
ARMSTRONG - Christine Turpin has only ever painted on actual canvass a handful of times. The North Okanagan woman’s preferred medium is people.
Turpin is a full time face painter and recently became obsessed with the art of body painting. The Armstrong mother recently competed in the international face and body art convention Fabaic in Orlando.
Christine Turpin at the Vernon Farmers Market.
(CHARLOTTE HELSTON / iNFOnews.ca)
“You have six hours and you paint your little heart out,” Turpin says.
The convention, which only takes 25 people, also included workshops with instructors from Netflix's Skin Wars.
Turpin's model at Fabaic.
Image Credit: Submitted/ Christine Turpin
Using a Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe theme, Turpin painted her model from head to toe in shades of blue with intricate designs.
The paint is applied directly to the skin using watercolour brushes and other tools of the trade. It’s an intimate process that requires trust between the artist and model.
“I glue their underwear on them and trim it off,” she says. “I’m lucky that people are willing to just drop trou and let me play and be comfortable that way.”
Turpin has transformed people’s bodies into Mounties, leopards and super heroes, while also recreating more ordinary looks, such as a woman in blue jeans or a swimsuit.
“I’ve painted on canvass like, three or four times,” Turpin says. “I like when my canvass (the human body) is washed off at the end of the day and I can work on making it better.”
You can find Turpin at farmers markets in Armstrong, Vernon and Kelowna.
Christine Turpin works her magic on Mikayla Leseque, 4, from Lloydminster, Alberta.
(CHARLOTTE HELSTON / iNFOnews.ca)
Image Credit: Submitted/ Christine Turpin
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