Somers Artist Uses Human Body as Her Canvas

Throughout her 14 years as an art teacher, Somers resident Jennifer Siciliano felt there was something missing. She loved the children and the content, but she didn't have the drive to conform to the scheduled life of daily teaching. 

Everything changed when she got pregnant with her son, now 6 years old.

"I decided to make a change and take a risk to leave teaching and eventually try something else," Siciliano said. 

Today, the woman is a body painting artist who has won various awards for her work. 

She has won first place in the semi-pro division for face painting at the 2012 FABAIC International Face and Body Art Convention in Fort Lauderdale. There, she also placed in the top 5 finalists for Illusion Magazine's face painting competition.

Siciliano, 41, most recently placed second in a main body art competition and won first place in the People's Choice Award at the Annual Tattoo Convention at the Philadelphia Convention Center, which is attended by thousands of people. 

"I really cannot believe the interest people have had in my style," Siciliano said. "I see it just as an expression, as work – one which I love – but it feels funny that I get an award for something I love to do regardless."

Besides having fun at competition, Siciliano said she loves the chance to challenge herself and see how far she can go. Her passion for the arts began while she was in high school. She was involved with all aspects of the arts – from fine art to theater and writing. 

Siciliano and her family live in Lake Lincolndale, which she calls "the most charming community" and "a small slice of heaven."

She makes most of her income through festivals and private parties, which is largely the face painting aspect. She also does belly art, sports events, adult celebrations, advertising, bachelorette parties, private photo shoots, corporate events.

"I'm up for mostly anything," Siciliano said. 

Patch caught up with the artist below.

Patch: How did the body painting take off for you?

Siciliano: After I committed to being a stay at home mom, I soon realized that extra income was needed as well as some kind of work for personal fulfillment. Being at home gave me the chance to finally explore the creative endeavors I had so long put off because of my busy teaching schedule. I began to paint canvases for decor in kids' rooms, but I wasn't selling as much as I thought I would. Then at one of the art fairs I was showing my work at, a friend of mine told me I might be a great face painter.

At first I shrugged it off because it seemed like it wasn't very artistic, just frivolous. But then I discovered some amazing artists, The Wolfe Brothers, online who did what is called "extreme face painting." It was amazing, and I saw the potential of taking it to another level. I picked it up quickly, began making money at festivals and parties, developed my talent and my business began to take off.

Then at one of the painting conventions I attended I saw there was a body art class taught by Mark Reid, one of the most renowned face and body artists. I took a chance by taking the class, and I absolutely fell in love with the idea of using the body as a canvas. And I knew this would be a new medium for me.

Patch: What are some of the challenges of creating art on a person? 

Siciliano: My personal challenge is the amount of time it takes to paint a body. On a canvas or mural, I do what I can that day and walk away until my next session. When you paint a body, you only have an allotted time frame. You get it done or you don't. You are restricted to the time the model can give you, and you can only do the best you can with that. 

Patch: What are some of the rewards of using the human body as your canvas? 

Siciliano: When I paint my ideas larger I can render them more skillfully giving me the chance to use my fine art background, which is ultimately what I always wanted to utilize. I love that it's collaborative between the model and the artist, and sometimes an additional photographer. It's making art together in a more communal way, instead of alone in my studio.

If I work with a woman who's not a model and she's just looking to have this art done on herself, even if she is critical or insecure about her own body, (as so many of us are), she feels totally free from that judgment and sees the human form for what it is...beautiful. It's very satisfying that you are helping someone love themselves more in a safe and celebratory way through your own artistic creations.

Patch: How long does it take?

Siciliano: It does depend on a few factors. A belly art for a pregnant woman may take only 3-4 hours depending on complexity. A full side body which is mostly what I do with photo shoots can take up to 6-8 hours (including the photo shoot). And in competition you are limited to the time they give you. At the Philadelphia competition I only had 4 hours to do the whole body, and I practiced my design several times on generous and supportive friends so that I could get it down in that time. 

Patch: What's the most intricate work of art you've done so far?

Siciliano: I would say it had to be when I worked at Battery Park in New York City for the Sept. 11th 10-year anniversary, and I painted live on the spot. I started at 12 p.m. and went to 6 p.m. There was a lot of pressure because since it was live I had to make this thing look great, especially out of respect for the subject matter. But since I only had less than 30 minutes for the photo session before we started losing our sunlight, there was no choice but to finish by 6 p.m.

I wanted to include recognizable iconic imagery – the Statue of Liberty, a crying bald eagle, silhouettes of firemen, the twin towers, an angel wrapping his arms around them, and a torn American flag among other things. I managed to get it all done, but afterward I was exhausted.

Patch: How easy is it to take off the paint afterwards?

Siciliano: It's actually make-up so it removes easily. And most likely a lot easier than if you had a bunch of eye shadow rubbed all over your body. It's water activated so as soon as it gets wet, it begins to run off instantly.

Patch: What has the response from people been like?

Siciliano: At first when I told people I was involved with this as a new art medium, they tried to digest it and then politely listened to my excited manner when I shared it. But as I started showing people the results, they became intrigued. It was a new idea in this community only a few years ago.

Now, with the introduction of shows like Face Off showing body painting episodes, and other coverage in newspapers about the art form, people are taking notice. They are starting to see it as art. Nudity can be an issue in America. It's rather funny because when I went to Italy, it was the most natural thing in the world for everyone to be surrounded by art pieces of naked statues. Meanwhile in America nobody seems to care when women wear handkerchief bikinis smothered with baby oil. Now that's a lot more sexy. 

Patch: Why do you think body painting has become such a fascinating topic?

Siciliano: I think people have a thirst for something live. We are so glued to our TV sets and our cell phones bombarding us with flat images all day long. A 3-D image disrupts our usual perception and makes people break out of their trance for a minute. When you do the painting live in competitions, festivals, or performance art, it becomes a piece of art that is moving and dynamic, and the canvas is a human being.

When I went to Battery Park, my cousin who was my model and a first responder at 9/11, was engaging the crowd telling his story, sharing with others what these images meant to him. A piece of artwork talking to you? That's just fun. It was a shared human experience. And if they are looking at a photo image of the work, it still excites people because it takes them out of their regular perception of the human body. They stop seeing it as something to cover-up with Gucci clothes and jewels and start seeing it for what it is...a natural gift that we all have, with all shapes and sizes. When someone is fully covered with paint from head to toe, they barely look unclothed. But as a work of art, their bodies become revered in a way and admired. We all want to feel that kind of love for ourselves. 

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If interested in contacting the artist, call 914 248 0133. Check out her body art website here and her face art here. You can also find her here on Facebook.

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