Naked came the painter
For Georgette Pressler, every body is a work of art.
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Photo of Georgette Pressler by Beth Black
When she was 15, Georgette Pressler began face-painting for kids as an alternative to babysitting. She continued to do it for fun throughout high school, four years in the U.S. Army and while earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Florida Atlantic University. About 2003, while working at a costume shop, Pressler attended the Face and Body Art International Convention in Orlando.
Shortly after graduating in 2007, Pressler quit her job to paint bodies full-time and has since done so for Versace and Playboyand in venues such as Palm Beach’s Gavlak Gallery, Los Angeles’ the Hive Gallery and West Palm Beach’s the Lounge, where she’s a featured artist at Art Nouveau Events’ monthly art parties. In November, she’ll have a solo exhibition at Gallery ML, a Philadelphia venue devoted to creating and displaying body-painting, and will be featured in the winter edition of Illusion, an international magazine for body-painters.“My whole life changed,” she says. “I started focusing on body paint and though I was carrying a regular job at the time, because I was still going to college, body-painting really was my passion.”
Pressler and her photographer, Tara Hauck, are striving to bring body-painting into more galleries. “My goal for body-painting, and body-painting in South Florida, is to really get it away from the stigma that [Key West’s] Fantasy Fest has given it and bring it to a level of fine art and make it appreciated in galleries,” Pressler says.
Pressler, who owns the body paint and makeup company Devious Body Art, recently talked with City Link about her sexiest designs, her love of chiseled collarbones and her passion for painting on skin.
What are some of the sexiest body-painting designs you’ve done?
This is a conundrum for me. I love the work to be sexy, I love it to be seducing but one of my pet peeves is Fantasy Fest. I actually have these really great shirts coming that say, “No, not like Fantasy Fest,” because living in Florida, it’s the first thing people assume. Fantasy Fest is strictly geared toward the lewdness and sex of being naked, and completely flaunting yourself. What I’m trying to do is accentuate the beauty and seductiveness of the human form, not the raunchiness and raw sexuality of it.
What are some of the sexiest body-painting designs you’ve done?
This is a conundrum for me. I love the work to be sexy, I love it to be seducing but one of my pet peeves is Fantasy Fest. I actually have these really great shirts coming that say, “No, not like Fantasy Fest,” because living in Florida, it’s the first thing people assume. Fantasy Fest is strictly geared toward the lewdness and sex of being naked, and completely flaunting yourself. What I’m trying to do is accentuate the beauty and seductiveness of the human form, not the raunchiness and raw sexuality of it.
So as much as I love painting lingerie, corsets and beautiful things like that, one of my favorites is a Day of the Dead piece. It’s just very simple black, scrolling, curving lines that flow over the body. The nipples and lower area are barely covered by just enough of this line work so the curves of the body are still accentuated. The model stands there looking very thoughtfully away and into the distance. She’s not doing anything sexual. She’s just standing there being beautiful, and the movement of the lines over the body makes your eyes move across the ribs, across the roundness of the breast, and over the curve of the hip and they just dissolve down into where her lower area is. To me, that is much more sexy and sensual. And it’s soft and it’s giving a hint, an idea that this could be much sexier.
Do you remember your first paid body-painting job?
I remember it like it was yesterday. I was working at the costume shop and got a phone call from the Ritz Carlton. It was the president of the Ritz’s birthday, and they were doing a jungle-themed birthday party and asking if we had any costumes or a makeup artist that could do animal faces or body-painting. The owner of the shop looked at me and said, “You can do this.” I was like, “I have never done this before.” So I got on the phone and said, “Yeah, of course I can do that!” They hired me an assistant, which I had no idea what to do with. I painted eight wild animals — zebras, tigers, leopards, cheetahs. When I jumped in, I jumped in.
When did you start doing full body-paintings?
Shortly after the Ritz Carlton event. I borrowed a friend and said, “Let me paint you.” It took eight hours. I had no idea what I was doing. I was learning as I went and she was kind enough to be patient. It took a long time but was still beautiful.
What was it like painting at the Kardashians’ 2009 charity poker event at the Playboy Mansion?
We painted 15 to 20 models. We met Dane Cook, who is an amazing guy. They treated us as though we belonged there instead of just working there. It was a beautiful experience, and I would absolutely love to do it again. We swam in the grotto. That was great. Just recently, here in Miami, we did the Playboy photo shoot forTron. It’s their departure from the Disney Tron and it was two models painted with the Tron outfits.
Do you remember your first paid body-painting job?
I remember it like it was yesterday. I was working at the costume shop and got a phone call from the Ritz Carlton. It was the president of the Ritz’s birthday, and they were doing a jungle-themed birthday party and asking if we had any costumes or a makeup artist that could do animal faces or body-painting. The owner of the shop looked at me and said, “You can do this.” I was like, “I have never done this before.” So I got on the phone and said, “Yeah, of course I can do that!” They hired me an assistant, which I had no idea what to do with. I painted eight wild animals — zebras, tigers, leopards, cheetahs. When I jumped in, I jumped in.
When did you start doing full body-paintings?
Shortly after the Ritz Carlton event. I borrowed a friend and said, “Let me paint you.” It took eight hours. I had no idea what I was doing. I was learning as I went and she was kind enough to be patient. It took a long time but was still beautiful.
What was it like painting at the Kardashians’ 2009 charity poker event at the Playboy Mansion?
We painted 15 to 20 models. We met Dane Cook, who is an amazing guy. They treated us as though we belonged there instead of just working there. It was a beautiful experience, and I would absolutely love to do it again. We swam in the grotto. That was great. Just recently, here in Miami, we did the Playboy photo shoot forTron. It’s their departure from the Disney Tron and it was two models painted with the Tron outfits.
When you began painting nudes was it awkward or did it feel like just another canvas?
That’s exactly what it felt like. I have never been uncomfortable with nudity. I grew up out in Loxahatchee. We had 15 acres and wore our underwear and galoshes and ran around, because you’re going to get sweaty and dirty, anyway. I’m a nudist at heart. It’s a complaint my boyfriend has. He’s like, "Why don’t you ever wear clothes?"
That’s exactly what it felt like. I have never been uncomfortable with nudity. I grew up out in Loxahatchee. We had 15 acres and wore our underwear and galoshes and ran around, because you’re going to get sweaty and dirty, anyway. I’m a nudist at heart. It’s a complaint my boyfriend has. He’s like, "Why don’t you ever wear clothes?"
When I was in the service, you live with 50, 60, 80 women in basic training. You live in the same area, shower in the same area. It’s just a human body and it’s what God gave you, and there’s nothing to be ashamed about. I try very hard to make those who are getting nude for me feel comfortable with themselves. There’s nothing wrong with the body that you’ve got. Be happy that it’s this beautiful, sculpted canvas, and it’s going to be even more beautiful than it is now.
What’s so appealing about painting on skin?
Paint moves so much more freely on skin. The skin is soft and forgiving, and the texture and topography of the body lends itself to being more creative. I’m a sculptor at heart, and for me, three-dimensional is so much more interesting. Canvas doesn’t interact, it doesn’t give me feedback and it doesn’t show me which way it wants to go. It just lays there flat. Painting on a body is more interactive. It’s something I am doing with the paints and the person rather than something I am doing to the canvas with the paint.
Are some parts of the body more challenging to paint?
I absolutely love a strong jawline, long neck and chiseled collarbone. These are also hardest to paint because of the deep crevices and hard lines. You have to move over them smoothly and, sometimes, that requires getting into a strange position. People watching me paint will tell me I look like I’m about to take off running because I’m in this contorted position. But it’s easier for me to contort my body to move around the model than have her contort herself or himself.
What’s so appealing about painting on skin?
Paint moves so much more freely on skin. The skin is soft and forgiving, and the texture and topography of the body lends itself to being more creative. I’m a sculptor at heart, and for me, three-dimensional is so much more interesting. Canvas doesn’t interact, it doesn’t give me feedback and it doesn’t show me which way it wants to go. It just lays there flat. Painting on a body is more interactive. It’s something I am doing with the paints and the person rather than something I am doing to the canvas with the paint.
Are some parts of the body more challenging to paint?
I absolutely love a strong jawline, long neck and chiseled collarbone. These are also hardest to paint because of the deep crevices and hard lines. You have to move over them smoothly and, sometimes, that requires getting into a strange position. People watching me paint will tell me I look like I’m about to take off running because I’m in this contorted position. But it’s easier for me to contort my body to move around the model than have her contort herself or himself.
What’s the male-female ratio?
It’s probably 75 percent female. I do have a handful of guys who really enjoy being painted and being models, and recently I’ve been painting a couple of guys at the Art Nouveau shows, and they’re troopers. They love it and really get into character. Painting a woman is very different than painting a man. There are more angles than curves.
What unusual body-painting requests have you’ve received?
Some of the more-unusual requests I have actually had to turn down. I was asked to paint a couple in coitus. I told them I could not do that. I also had a man who asked me to paint Dino the Dinosaur on his downstairs.
Tell me about your Art Nouveau gig.
I use that event to test run models I would like to use for future events that I pay for. I try to get my models paid a comparable price. They’re putting their bodies on display for the public. It does take a lot of guts. Being a body-paint model is much different than being a regular model. You don’t realize how difficult it is to stand in one place for five or six hours.
Do they take on a different persona once they’re painted?
When you can completely change who you are, and you don’t look like yourself anymore, you feel like you can take on that persona and it does liberate you. I have models who are very unsure of being painted in public or being painted and going out in public. For instance, I had a few girls who wanted to be painted as Na’vi fromAvatar this past Halloween, and their girlfriend, who was the strongest of them all, was like “You gotta do it! You gotta do it!” They were very sketchy about it because all they’re wearing in public is a thong and pasties.
It’s probably 75 percent female. I do have a handful of guys who really enjoy being painted and being models, and recently I’ve been painting a couple of guys at the Art Nouveau shows, and they’re troopers. They love it and really get into character. Painting a woman is very different than painting a man. There are more angles than curves.
What unusual body-painting requests have you’ve received?
Some of the more-unusual requests I have actually had to turn down. I was asked to paint a couple in coitus. I told them I could not do that. I also had a man who asked me to paint Dino the Dinosaur on his downstairs.
Tell me about your Art Nouveau gig.
I use that event to test run models I would like to use for future events that I pay for. I try to get my models paid a comparable price. They’re putting their bodies on display for the public. It does take a lot of guts. Being a body-paint model is much different than being a regular model. You don’t realize how difficult it is to stand in one place for five or six hours.
Do they take on a different persona once they’re painted?
When you can completely change who you are, and you don’t look like yourself anymore, you feel like you can take on that persona and it does liberate you. I have models who are very unsure of being painted in public or being painted and going out in public. For instance, I had a few girls who wanted to be painted as Na’vi fromAvatar this past Halloween, and their girlfriend, who was the strongest of them all, was like “You gotta do it! You gotta do it!” They were very sketchy about it because all they’re wearing in public is a thong and pasties.
Once they looked at themselves in the mirror, with the contacts, the wig, the paint, they got into character and felt it. Their whole persona changed. You could feel how strong they felt, and a lot of the models are that way. They’re a little nervous about it, but once they see the transformation, they don’t want to wash it off. It is liberating. You can be who you want to be, you can be a person that’s hidden inside of you and you can be something that you thought you never could be.
Pressler will be body-painting at Invoke the Arts: Robots vs. Humans Edition, a six-hour art, music and fashion event 8 p.m. Sunday, July 31 at Dada, 52 N. Swinton Ave., in Delray Beach. Call 561-330-3232 or visitDadaofdelray.com. Pressler also will paint at Art Nouveau Events’ next show, 8 p.m. Aug. 24 at the Lounge, 517 Clematis St., in West Palm Beach. Call 561-655-9747 or visit Artnouveauevents.com.
Pressler will be body-painting at Invoke the Arts: Robots vs. Humans Edition, a six-hour art, music and fashion event 8 p.m. Sunday, July 31 at Dada, 52 N. Swinton Ave., in Delray Beach. Call 561-330-3232 or visitDadaofdelray.com. Pressler also will paint at Art Nouveau Events’ next show, 8 p.m. Aug. 24 at the Lounge, 517 Clematis St., in West Palm Beach. Call 561-655-9747 or visit Artnouveauevents.com.
Contact Colleen Dougher at cdougher@citylinkmagazine.com.
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