Feb 2017
I was really a rock/ metal/ funk chick from my teens, but I still had a good mix of music on my tapes (yes I’m that old) and adored George Michael’s Freedom. I can recall hours of listening to that on my Walkman as I sat painting and repainting pictures of the central courtyard tree in Chesterfield high school for my A-level art exams.
Later, I couldn’t go to the Freddie Mercury tribute concert as I had an exam at Uni, but watching it in the Student Union bar over lunch, his was the one voice that really blew me away – he nailed the Queen vocals.
So I was saddened to hear of the last great loss to music in 2016 – George Michael on Christmas Day. I’d hoped to paint something on a model locally just to express thanks/ regrets, but colds swept the family and models cancelled. Finally I asked if there was anyone I could paint at the Wiltshire Face Painters’ Jam I was supposed to demo at in Feb. Richard, fiancee of a painter, kindly volunteered.
On an incredibly cold, misty morning, my eldest and I packed the car and drove the hour over to the jam, missing all the local scenery in our foggy tunnel.
I’d initially wanted to paint jeans and a jacket like in the famous denim/ jukebox video but due to timings cut back to just the jacket. I’m not a fan of using black, its the shade I use least (I find it boring for clothes and prefer colours) but I did my best! I substituted ‘never gonna dance again’ on the t-shirt chest to mimic the white block-lettered T shirts George had in the 80’s.
On the back, I swapped the top gothic lettering for ‘freedom’ with some of his iconic crosses either side, RIP in the middle of the leafy wreath,
and, running out of time, didn’t do a great job of the gothic G heart M on the bottom. I did these in paint first and then freehand glitter tattooed around the edges, as I wanted to give a raised effect like metallic thread stitching. Brushing off glitter vudei is here.
It was a fairly relaxed day, with demos, competitions, people chatting, asking painty advice, breaks for Katie’s lethal rainbow cake, etc.
Assorted pics from the jam page… not painted by me
I attempted to stencil-glitter-tattoo (using Mehron’s gold metallic powder) the zips which didn’t quite work but I can see what I’d do another time and it still gave a good effect. That’s when we found Richard had a very very tickly tummy button…
The organiser Sally rose leant us some perfect aviator glasses, but sadly the perfect guitar I’d borrowed from my husband and packed the night before had been borrowed back by hubby and I’d not noticed to re-pack it! Luckily Richard was the event’s DJ so had a mic to add to the look. Final clip here and I’m just doing he timelapse.
Feb 2017
We all snapped a few pics – I mainly have put up Katie’s as her phone caught better reflections in the sunglasses than mine did – and packed up. Short but sweet!
When I got home my eldest vanished and hubby was in the bath, so I unloaded the stuffed car into the porch and ferried from the porch into the house. This is my youngest ‘helping’ by flinging paints and glitter gels out of a crate on the front step, into the house… 
Huge thanks to Richard 9and it seems he now wants another paint so wasn’t put off by this!) and Katie, to Sally for the fab jam, and everyone who came to chat etc.
Body Painting by Cat 