WHERE ART THOU?
Body paint artist creates amazing shots that blend people into their surroundings to bring them ‘closer to nature’
Trina Merry's body-positive project was inspired by nature and iconic settings, aiming to showcase the human body in a similar way to the outside world.
Ms Merry, 40, takes landscapes from around the world and merges them with models to create magical masterpieces you need to see to believe.
Using body paint, she mixes her models into the landscape of her photos.
In one incredible image, a model is indistinguishable from her iconic surroundings – the blossom trees of Central Park, New York, and the skyscrapers of Manhattan covering her body.
In another image, the body of a man is turned into a mosaic masterpiece - every intricate detail matched perfectly to the fountain behind him.
Ms Merry will spend a day hiking beforehand to find the perfect spot for her art to be born, and to locate the right lighting.
On the day of the shoot, the body painting itself only takes 30 to 90 minutes - with Ms Merry adding the most difficult element is trying to find phone service.
She says: “It can be difficult to meet up in remote places so now, I travel with my clients – it feels like a shared adventure.”
Reflecting on the global coronavirus pandemic, Ms Merry acknowledged this is a “stressful time of anxiety and fear” - however she hopes her work can help remind audiences that “nature creates balance”.
She says: “This changing of seasons reminds us that nothing lasts forever.”
“Body paint reminds us that we can return to a healthy relationship with our bodies and with the planet during this time.”
“Instead of shielding ourselves from the elements, we find our balance with nature.”
Ms Merry is also hopeful that the collection can change the way people view their bodies – using nature’s undeniable beauty as a prompt.
She explains: “We never describe trees or mountains as ‘needing to lose a few.’ We use a sharper lens on ourselves,” Trina said.
“Nature’s beauty is wild, untamed, and free. We don’t square off a branch and say, ‘that needs to be fixed.’ We say that the whole thing is beautiful.”
“We’ll tear each other apart on social media if someone didn’t put make-up on or do their hair.”
Ms Merry believes her art allows people to look at one another through nature’s lens and to focus on the beauty in each person's unique body.
She explains: “If camouflage is defined as ‘hiding or disguising the presence of a person, animal, or object,’ my art may be described as the ability to bring awareness to elements of life that have previously been camouflaged.”