Alexa Meade - creating living works of art

 

 
Look at these paintings and tell me what's different about it.

Alexa Meade's works look like they could be a variation on an Edward Hopper portrait - her painting technique and strokes have similar qualities and weight. Her pieces have great energy, are proptioned perfectly and capture the emotion of the subject. Despite the obvious painterly quality of her work, something seems off. Yes, there it is - look at the eyes of the subjects.

First off, you should know that these are not photoshop miracles. Alexa did not take a studio photo and edit it back in the lab. Her works are paintings. The canvas the artist chooses to paint on, however, is the differentiating factor. Most painters choose canvas. The most avant guarde artists paint on sidewalks, but Meade brings a new meaning to multi-media artist all together. She paints on skin. Yes, skin. Painters have gone to great lengths to make their paintings look as realistic as possible, but Meade has turned the tables and has gone full circle. Her photographs truley have a painterly quality to them.

I learned about this up and coming artist in the February issue of Nylon where Tandice Ossareh sits for Meade and later explains the process. Meade has developed her very own line of body paint and works for hours painting directly onto the hair, clothes and props that are in frame of the camera. Once the painting is complete, Meade will take a photo to document the masterpiece. The shots below give some perspective into her process. Find out more about Meade here.