Body painting

Body painting. The skin art.

body painting Body painting fascinates me. It’s incredible to see what artists can do to a canvas of skin. How they transform people into walking and talking pieces of art. I took the picture on the left (click it for a larger version) at a fantasy fair here in the Netherlands. It was the first time they had a live body painting demonstration, and the fact people were allowed to take photos was quite unique.

 

bp02The light on the image on the right is bad, sorry for that, but the sun was out in full blaze. (This image is also clickable for a larger version.)

This lady was being transformed in a universe. Very beautiful to witness.

It’s stunning to see how these artists pour themselves into their work, creating beautiful images. Another interesting thing to learn while watching them work was to see how long this actually takes! It’s not like tossing on some colours, dabbing a few more blotches with a brush and that’s it. The models have to stand there for hours. Literally. If you think about having your body painted one day, make sure you’re up to the physical challenge. You stand there, at times with your arms stretched out, for a LONG time.

bp03Another (clickable) image with even poorer light. Still I want to show it to you.

This model was transformed into a dragon-like creature. Not only paint but also foam stubs, painted in the right colours.

Spencer Tunick

As I walked around there and watched these people at work, I wondered how much effort had to go into the works of Spencer Tunick, the man who created the Sea of Hull and the amazing rush of red people in Munich, Germany a while ago.

Sea of Hull, Spencer Tunick. Image courtesy of The Guardian.
Sea of Hull, Spencer Tunick. Image courtesy of The Guardian.

World Bodypainting Festival

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyubqoxOrMA

Here is a video from World Bodypainting Day 2016. An opportunity for you to see how much work this really is.

It is an amazing way to decorate a person. More versatile and more personal than any kind of clothing can be. If ever I have the chance to be painted in such a way I’ll certainly grab it. I already wonder what I would like to have on me.

What would your favourite colours, scenes and/or patterns be?

Nude or naked?

Some of you may know that I write books. Writing books and stories means you have to consider the meaning of words carefully.

Considering the words ‘nude’ and ‘naked’.

They both refer to the state of being undressed, uncovered, clothes-free, yes. Still, to me they have a different charge as it were. Wikipedia’s take on these point to the same thing. Nudity. To me there is however an underlying difference.

What nude is to me.

ZMDSC01418

To me this is nude. You may argue that I’m naked in this picture so let me explain. When I am nude, I’m undressed, I appreciate it to the max and I am ‘in my power’. I am undressed by my own choice and proud of my state of being. When I took this picture it wasn’t warm. There was fog all around. Still I felt wonderful there, in nature, one with the elements of the moment. That is when you are in your centre of power.

What is naked to me.

caught_naked

Here is an example of someone I think is naked. It’s the ‘oops’ moment, the shyness, the not wanting to be seen like this.

It is when someone feels exposed and vulnerable.

Look at it this way: when you are nude and you walk around in the rain when it’s not cold, that’s all fine. You’ll get wet but you won’t shiver, you don’t feel bad.

When that same rain comes over you and it starts getting cold, you’ll feel naked. Exposed and vulnerable because this is not pleasant at all.

Note that this is just one example.

Naked does not always mean you’re weak.

Absolutely not, unless you make yourself weak. Having the courage to make yourself vulnerable is not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of a different kind of strength. The world live in is a hard place where being weak is frowned upon. You have to be strong, in armour, fast and in control. Daring to be naked means you dare to be yourself, to be a real person who doesn’t want to be strong all the time. Trying to be strong all the time will wear you out on an emotional level or even detach you from your emotions. You become a machine, a robot.

Naturists and nudists, as far as I have met and talked with them, have the deliberate ability to go beyond that trap. They bare themselves. They make themselves naked as well as nude. They want to be vulnerable. Go into the mountains where you encounter nothing but sharp rocks and take off your clothes there.

ZMRocks
Me on the rocks in Wales

See? You are vulnerable. This doesn’t mean you’re weak. This just means you acknowledge you’re not made of iron and you understand how thin your skin is, especially when you scrape against that rock.

The vulnerability is where you put it.

As you see, there are more ways to feel vulnerable. Good ways and bad ways. Getting caught in something you shouldn’t do makes you vulnerable, even when you’re completely dressed. The power of allowing yourself to be vulnerable, naked, is something different. You bring that upon yourself. You say to the world, “Yes, this is me as I am. Naked, unprotected.” That kind of vulnerability should gather respect. It does from me.

naked-and-afraid-cambodia-2

It’s entirely different from the popular TV series ‘Naked and Afraid’ where people put themselves in danger willingly.

I certainly respect the courage of the people who do this, but I don’t respect their nakedness as the kind I described earlier.

Be nude, dear friend. And dare to be naked. It makes you more complete as a human.

Paul.

(This post appeared originally on ClothesLifeFree. I thought it important enough to share it here.)

Lanzarote. My second visit. Part 3.

Observations from a naturist lady.

naturist lady

On one of the days in Charco del Palo I talked to a German lady who was in apartment close to mine.She said she and her husband were there for the second time. Like me. They had been to Tenerife (another Canary Island) before finding Charco. Her biggest gripe against the clothed community on Tenerife was the snooping of people regarding clothes. She said, “What hindered me at some point was that people were staring at me to see if I was wearing something I might have worn before during that vacation.” She really looked disgusted as she told me this. Being in a naturist village was so much easier. “You’re always dressed well here,” she said and smiled big.

She and her husband had tried naturism before and one day had decided to come to Charco del Palo and find out what true nude life would be. She told me that they had decided to come back to Charco del Palo every year. That realisation took them about two minutes. They, like so many others there, love the freedom and the absence of clothes. She really looked relieved when she told me she was glad to be rid of all that “putting on clothes”, as she called it (‘Angekleide‘ was the German word she used.)

what-will-i-wear

We talked about our experiences and feelings towards going back to the overdressed world, and how great it was to be able to go out walking along the beach or in the Cocoteros hills close to the village.

It was very nice to talk with her. A conversation between two like-minded people, sitting in the sun, dressed in SPF30. (Her husband was helping someone rebuild part of their house. She told me that he didn’t know how to relax.)

As we sat there talking, several dressed ones passed us. None of them dared to look over, the way proper prudes are. The German lady remarked at some point that she’d seen weird things at the beach, like dressed people getting themselves into trouble, unable to climb out of a cave, because of their restricting clothing. Makes you wonder why they didn’t simply take the stuff off and get themselves into safety instead of having to rely on other people.

Stupid is as stupid does, I guess.

Lanzarote. My second visit. Part 2.

A nude dinner.

Yup. It happened. I didn’t know it happened every Thursday evening. A restaurant here, the Jardin Tropical, hosts a naturist dinner every week on Thursday. You have to book it in advance so they can set the right amount of tables, the price is nothing but reasonable (I paid €16,90 plus drinks) and the food is very good.

jardintropical_charco

If you’re a vegetarian you can say so when you book your seat and all will be taken care of.

Nude group.

It was an amazing experience to join 19 others for dinner in the nude. That evening there were 20 people which, according to the waitress, was a new record. There was a nice mix of people there. Some from Sweden, some from Germany (there are many Germans in Charco del Palo), British and French, and a few Dutch people like me. Save 1 Swedish man everyone knew English so that made talking with everyone quite easy. Note that some people had ‘interesting’ accents, but that was fine and fun.

nude in the streetIt’s really a fabulous feeling to shower and after drying off you’re ready to go out to dinner. The whole experience of walking around nude here, all through the small town, is one I can’t get enough of, and meeting other nude people out there, in the streets, is a kick. As was this nude dinner I was part of.

Something really funny happened while we were eating: two people came in. Dressed. They had more than a bit of surprise seeing the restaurant loaded with naked folks having a good time! They took it well though. They had something to drink at the bar and then left quickly. I still grin when I think of it.

Lanzarote. Voor de tweede keer.

Charco del Palo. Alweer.

Absoluut. Dit jaar bezocht ik Lanzarote alwer. Charco del Palo heeft een bijzondere aantrekkingskracht omdat het een naturistenplaatsje is. Het voelde een beetje als thuiskomen. Ik kwam aan in het appartement, deed mijn kleren uit en dat was het. Charco del Palo is een unieke plek voor mij. Er zullen best nog andere plaatsen zijn die eenzelfde ervaring bieden maar die ken ik (nog) niet.

lanza2016hike

Het duurde niet lang voordat ik de eerste, blote wandeling achter de rug had. In totaal heb ik zo’n goede 32 kilometer gewandeld in die week. En geen enkele kilometer werd ik aangestaard. Iedereen in en rond Charco begrijpt of accepteert dat er verschillende gradaties van vrijheid zijn. De plaatselijke, geklede bevolking is er al lang aan gewend, die kijken niet meer op van een bloot lichaam.

Geklede bevolking?

Jazeker. Niet iedereen loopt daar in zijn of haar nakie rond. In feite is kleding optioneel in het dorp en dat werkt goed. Een trieste ontwikkeling is helaas wel dat veel van de oudere inwoners die continu naakt waren zich meer en meer aankleden. Dat is ‘dank zij’ de moderne reclames. Die rommel boort zich in alle hoofden en heeft een groot aantal van hen al overtuigd dat we fit en mooi en strak en 22 jaar jong moeten zijn. Ik vind dat de grootste bagger maar de schade is er al. Hopelijk kunnen we het tij nog keren.

Winkelen.

Nude shoppingVorig jaar had Charco geen supermarkt. Dat was wel jammer. Dit jaar, sinds januari, heeft een echtpaar de plaatselijke ‘supermercado‘ weer nieuw leven ingeblazen. Dat is goed. Het assortiment verraste me plezierig en de prijzen zijn alleszins in orde. Het beste van de winkel: ook hier is kleding optioneel. Ik had nog nooit eerder bloot boodschappen gedaan. Deze ronde dus wel. En ik kan je vertellen: het is net als boodschappen doen. Maar dan zonder de noodzaak van kleren.

 

Lanzarote. My second visit. Part 1.

Charco del Palo again.

Yes. This year I visited Lanzarote again. Charco del Palo has a strange attraction, being a naturist village. In a way it was like coming home. I got to the apartment,took off my clothes and that was it. Charco del Palo is a unique place for me. There could be other villages out in the world that offer a similar experience but I haven’t found those yet.

lanza2016hike

It didn’t take me long to get the first nude hikes behind me. In total I walked over 32 km (that is about 20 miles I think) during my stay, and all of them unhindered by looks of people who don’t understand what is is to be free. The clothed local population is used to it since long. They don’t blink at a naked body.

Clothed population?

Yes. Not everyone there walks around in the nude. The village is technically clothing optional, which works for everyone involved. A sad development is that many of the older residents who used to be naked all the time lately are wearing more clothes. We have to ‘thank’ modern advertising for that. That crap spoiled their minds by telling the world we all have to look fit and pretty and trim and 22 years old. I can only call massive and loud bullshit on that, but the damage is already done. Let’s hope we can still turn the tide.

Shopping.

Nude shoppingLast year Charco didn’t have a supermarket. That was a pity. This year however, since January to be precise, a couple opened up the local ‘supermercado‘. It’s good because they have lots of things and it’s also surprisingly cheap. Best of all: clothing optional. I never went shopping in the nude before. This trip I did it and let me tell you: it’s exactly like shopping. Just without coverings.