The Naked Truth

Adventures in the art of body-painting

By Jennifer Caldwell

I. all started in the spring of 2005,
when I came across an ad in the Georgia
Straight recruiting models and artists for
body painting competitions.

I was first introduced to Samantha
Rae Rhodes inside the office of Ace
Angels International, a body-painting

 

agency. Since then, I have gotten to
know Samantha Rae, and she has filled
me in on some of her first experiences
with airbrush painting. Airbrush painting
has been revived as the preferred fashion
for accenting our bodies with art.
During my interview with Sam, she
let me in on a few beginners’ secrets of

the trade. I learned that Sam has only
been airbrushing since 2002, when
she purchased her first airbrush from
KMS Tools in Coquitlam. Her firstreal
taste of airbrushing started when she
was just eight years old. Sam’s father
was the one who taught her to use the
airbrush. Her interest in airbrushing
grew after Sam’s father inspired her
to do her first poster, which was
about the concepts of design. While
growing up on Vancouver Island,
Sam took various jobs at art and
pottery studios to broaden her skills.
She also had different jobs related to
sales representation in art stores and
galleries. As she continued to study
art, airbrushing emerged as a natural
talent that Sam quickly embraced. I
also learned that Sam wanted to go
makeup school, so she took various
jobs to help her pay for training at
Blanche Macdonald. After going
to makeup school, Sam had plenty
more tips and techniques with which
to advance herself. Competitions
were the next step for Sam. Although
Sam had little experience with the
airbrush, she was soon inspired to
try body-painting for the first time.
Sam went into her first competition
blindly but eager, and she came out a
third place winner.

I experienced the same satisfied
feeling when I did my first body
painting. On October 13 of last year, I
painted my friend Tristan Risk, a.k.a.
“Little Miss Risk” of the Sweet Soul
Burlesque group, at the Doll House
Studios downtown.

Being a self-taught artist is one thing
that Sam and I have in common, and
today Samantha and I continue this bond
outside of the agency. I have embraced
the airbrush and continue to paint with
it. It was both a great opportunity and
a breakthrough for me as an artist to

February 25, 2008

upgrade my skills with this new tool.

Ihave been promoting body painting
for three years now. My technique as an
artist is still growing, as is my friendship
with Sam. I have been airbrushing for
only one year, and I still need plenty
of practice. Yet with tons of love, care
and patience, body painting is always an
amazing process. The results are shown
in an art form that is often thoughtful
and somewhat mystical, with plenty of
research being put into each piece that is
done.

Samantha has her own website,
www.virgovisualartistry.com, and she
also travels around Vancouver and
Canada. Samantha has done numerous
airbrush ads and paintings for companies
such as Telus, The Taboo Sex Show,
and Helly Hansen. Now Sam prefers to
do privately booked parties, as well as
teach classes at the Dominelli School
of Art. She also paints hockey helmets,
motor vehicle helmets, ski equipment,
skateboards, and even the occasional
mural.

As for me, I’m continuing my
education at Douglas College, but my
main loves are airbrushing and tattooing
(when I’m not swamped with homework).
I’m constantly looking for people to
paint or to enter into competitions as an
art piece, mostly to further my artistic
skills. Samantha and I both share a love
for tattooing as well, and we are always
sharing our information with each other so
that we may help and advance ourselves.
I’m very grateful to have met Samantha;
if it weren’t for Sam and the experience
of performing in body paint, I would not
have made the transition from model to
artist. Although I have been an artist for
many years, learning the airbrush has
been the greatest skill I have challenged
myself with. Airbrushing is an ongoing
learning process that I one day hope to
master.

 

A smoking ban? About time!

By Aimee Ouellette, Opinions Editor

 

children is

 

The CBC is reporting that Ontario doctors
have called for a ban on smoking in cars with
children. I think most will echo me when I
say “it’s about damn time,”
but we should be careful
to remember exactly why
smoking is banned in many
public spaces—because it’s
directly harmful to persons
other than the smoker.

Smoking in a car with
irresponsible
at best, and a case could
be made for calling it
child abuse. I mention this
because non-smokers are
often portrayed as irritable, irrational or uppity
when they express their displeasure with having
to breathe in smoke at bus stops and outside of
restaurants. Of course, not all smokers behave

have a serious
entitlement

complex about
their habit.”

smarten up.

“Some smokers

this way. Many smokers are very considerate of others
and go out of their way to avoid inconveniencing non-
smokers, which is as it should be. There are smokers
out there, however, with a serious entitlement complex

about their habit. They try to make
non-smokers feel guilty about
disliking the smell and taste of
smoke, and act persecuted when
asked to butt out when children are
near.

I would never claim that it’s
easy to quit smoking, and I sincerely
hope that everyone, smoker and non-
smoker, can avoid health problems
like cancer. The fact is that smoking
is antisocial, and it’s time that we
eradicate the culture of entitlement

among smokers. I hope that the Canadian government
will listen to Ontario doctors, and that impolite smokers
will listen to me: if you can’t butt out, then please

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