BodyPainting Day Coming to Washington Square Park NYC

Photo: John Ahearn
Stunningly painted model in body paint poses as a photographer zooms in and the spectators enjoy the finish living work of art.

BodyPainting Day will return to New York City on July 22, 2017, from 12 pm to 4 pm at Washington Square Park in the historical Greenwich Village area.

This will be the first of four international BodyPainting Day events occurring in 2017.

Regardless of body type, age or gender, this event shows the public that anyone can be transformed into a beautiful work of art by a body painting artist.

According to body painting artist Andy Golub, who organized the first Bodypainting Day in New York City in 2014, the public is encouraged to come and observe as body painting artists transform models into unique works of art all within public view.

He also points out that most people may not realize it, but there are a lots of costs involved in running a free public event.

Insurance, travel, rental fees, tents, supplies, signage, security, event staff, website, social media are just some of the costs necessary to run these events, so he encourages the public and art loves to help support BodyPainting Day through their Kickstarter campaign.

Credit: John Ahearn
Body painted models are camouflage among the trees on Broadway during the initial BodyPainting Day in New York City. Can you see the head of each of the two models?

Last years, Bodypaining Day showcased some truly amazing transformations through the art of body paining.

International artist Robin Slonina performed a transformed on beautiful model Bethani Gruber by turning her into a stunning winged creature.

Slonina has provided us with some insight into her body painting techniques.

When deciding on the design for her bodypaint Slonina states, "I am the type of bodypainter that really likes to plan ahead. I research images, do a sketch and custom cut stencils in preparation for my body art. But my normal working method doesn't really suit Bodypainting Day, where part of the fun is being spontaneous and organic and reacting to the energy of your model.

I had a vision of wings, so I did a basic sketch the day before.

But it's hard to sketch when you aren't sure if you will be painting a man or woman, because this year the models were randomly assigned to us that day.

I think it was destiny that I was given Bethani to paint because she is such an angel that my wing design perfectly suited her.

Photo: John Ahearn
Model sports a body paited sun glasses look, as body painter artist completes the look and photographer capures it all.

I improvised the design on her face and legs, and the shimmer of light coming out of her chest was definitely inspired by my model's unique energy."

Another body painting artist at last year’s body painting day was Breanna Cooke who can turn a mere mortal into a riveting creature, a formidable looking dragon.

She created a masterful dragon design featuring a large pink heart encased in gold, gigantic owl shaped eyes floating in pools of white, blue body feathers and a powerful blue and white mask.

This year’s event will be at Washington Square Park which features the Washington Square Arch.

The Arc was modeled after the Arc de Triomphe and designed by architect Stanford White was erected in 1892.

The park also features a large outdoor fountain.

Throughout the years, Washington Square Park has served as a place for artists, performers and musicians.

Credit: John Ahearn
WPIX reporter Magee Hickey interviews a body painted model with eyes in the back of her back.

On any given day you can enjoy the park as you watch jugglers go by on a unicycle, dancers twirling multi hoola hoops, painters capturing the mood of the park and the city on canvas, while chest players concentrate on their next move.

The park has also provided a back drop for many motion pictures including Ghostbusters II which featured a large ghost flowing through the Washington Square Park Arch.

In the movie Deep Impact, the arch, park and chest players were sweep away in a giant tsunamis wave that flooded New York City.

The park’s arch also served as a backdrop for the movies Barefoot in the Park, Don’t Eat the Daisies, Enchanted, Hair, When Harry Met Sally and many more.

If you would like a bird eye view of some of the locations used for filming TV shows and movies in Washington Square Park go to the site MovieMaps.

In addition to New York City on July 22, 2017, BodyPainting Day will also take place on August 12, 2017 in Amsterdam, August 19,2017 in Berlin and conclude in San Francisco on October 14, 2017.

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If you cannot see the video or photos in your E-mail or news reader, just go to BodyPainting Day Coming to Washington Square Park NYC.

Body Painted Models Take Over Times Square

Credit: John Ahearn

Colorful body painted models running down Broadway towards Times Square during the first BodyPainting Day in New York City.

Approximately 200 body painted models will be taking over Times Square on Friday afternoon, June 9, 2017 from 12 pm to 4 pm in an artistic celebration of the painted human body and the models’ expression through painted on Notes.

Models of all shapes and sizes, both male and female will participate in this unique artistic event that will feature the largest collection of body painted models to ever assemble in the internationally known Times Square area of New York City.

Although artist and organizer Andy Golub has often body painted models in New York City's Times Square area, this event will be the largest gathering of body painted models ever assembled in the Times Square area.

Credit: John Ahearn

A model with haunting faces painted upon her stomach, poses with other body painted model on Broadway in New York City after taking part in the first BodyPainting Day in New York City.

Both public and tourists alike, are welcome to view the models being body painted on Friday, June 9, 2017 on Broadway between 43 - 44 Streets between 12 pm and 3 pm .

The models will than take to the Bleachers for a photo shoot between 3 and 4 pm.

This event,
Body Notes, is the brainchild of artist Andy Golub, Founder of Human Connections Arts and producer of NYC Bodypainting Day, and inspired by the Matthew “Levee” Chavez’s Sticky Note Project at the Union Square Subway.

Chavez will be joining the event as a guest artist.

“All these nude bodies and all of these words make a powerful statement, but it’s a statement of love, expression, acceptance and connection", Golub explains.

"Body Notes is a celebration of who we are on the inside and out.

Credit: John Ahearn

Body painted models walking down Broadway in New York City to the clicks of camera phones.

It’s an opportunity for people to express themselves through both their words and their bodies.

It is not a protest.

It is not political.

It is about everything that brings people together.”

It was through artist Andy Golub legal efforts, that body paint artists have won the right to legally body paint nude models on the streets of New York City.

He, also organized the first
Bodypainting Day in New York City four years ago, which featured body painters from around the country.

This will be the fourth year that Bodypainting Day will be celebrated in New York City on July 22nd, 2017 in Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village.

Bodypainting Day will be celebrated internationally in Amsterdam and Berlin in August and in San Francisco in October.

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Bodypainting Day Goes Worldwide

Credit: John Ahearn
Body painters, models, photographers gather under the mighty oak trees in Cenral Park for the first Bodypainting Day on July 26, 2014.

What started as one artist fight for artistic expression and the desire to bring art to the people has turned into several days of international events to celebrate the beauty of body painting.

Only three years ago, New York based artist Andy Golub fought for the right to body paint models, even nude models, on the city streets of New York and won. After winning his fight Golub, together with a group of body painting artists, created the first Bodypainting Day in New York City.

The first Bodypainting Day occurred on July 26, 2014, a very hot summer day in New York City, at the entrance to New York City’s Central Park.

Under those mighty, majestic oak trees at the entrance to Central Park at Columbus Circle, a group of very talented body painting artists and models assembled.

Little did they realize it at the time, but just like the little acorn that sprouts into a might oak tree, Bodypainting Day would continue to grow.

As the public watched, the artists began the process of turning the models into living, breathing works of art under a shady tree lined canopy.

Credit: John Ahearn
Under the shade of a Oak tree, a body painting artist carefully painting his model.

Photographers looking to capture the event surrounded the group of artists and models.

The public was also becoming involved, with park goers and tourists alike edging closer to the artist and models to get a better look.

One of the goals of Bodypainting Day founder Andy Golub was to have the public see how body painting art was created and people were responding.

With smiles on their faces and cell phones held up high, both the natives and tourists alike were capturing the body painting process.

A video clips for gramma or a selfie or two with a lovely body painted model for their friends back home.

About mid-afternoon, the television news crews began to arrive.

Magee Hickey, a reporter for New York station WPIX actually spent the afternoon covering the event including a live feed during the evening news show.

Although there was a brief afternoon shower that could have proved disastrous for the body painted models, it to seem to past quickly by.

Credit: John Ahearn
Artist and Bodypainting Day founder Andy Golub being interviewed by WPIX reporter Magee Hickey.

Later in the afternoon, the models in their newly painted body art were ready for a march down Broadway in the heart of New York City's Theater District.

In a town noted for native New Yorkers ignoring everything, people were really reacting to the parade of body painted models.

The body painted models turned Broadway into a giant stage, utilizing the street as props for them to perform on.

One model had a pair of oversized, toonish Betty Boop eyes painted on top of her eyelids. Whenever she would close her eyelids, these big body painted eyes would appear.

As they marched down Broadway, the body painted models would take to scaffolding around buildings as a stage to perform pole dance movements, with models hanging and twirling around while the photographers and tourist alike took in the show.

Even a traffic light proved to be a effective platform for a body painted model to hang from, while performing dance poses with her legs.

One model had a face body painted onto her back by renowed body painting artist and Skin Wars judge Craig Tracy. The face would come alive whenever the model moved her arms or shoulders, up or down creating a dramatic animated look.

Credit: John Ahearn
Renowed body painter and Skin Wars judge Craig Tracy painted a giant face upon the model.

On July 9, 2016, the third annual Bodypainting Day was celebrated in New York City, with one hundred models of all shapes and sizes, men and woman alike being painted by a very talented group of body painting artists.

The event has expanded so much over the past three years that it takes over Dag Hammarskjold Plaza in New York City.

Again, the public was invited to witness how these very creative body painters turn the models into living works of art.

Last year, was the first year that Bodypainting Day ventures abroad with the first Bodypainting Day taking place in Amsterdam.

This year Bodypainting Day will return to Amsterdam on August 20, 2016, with over 30 men and women models gathering at Museumplein, home to the city's most famous museums, including Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum to be painted by body painting artists.

One week later on August 27, 2016 is the first Bodypainting Day in Brussels.

Bodypainting Day will then return to the USA with the final event of the year being held in San Francisco on October 23, 2016.

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Body Painting Artists and Models Take To The Streets for Bodypainting Day

Credit: John Ahearn
Male model and female model Anne Brakel pose by the water fountain in body paint.

Beautiful models in golden body paint brighten a gloomy and overcast day, as the 3rd annual Bodypainting Day in New York City took place at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza on Saturday, July 9, 2016.

Male and female models of all body shapes and sizes descended on the Dag Hammarskjold Plaza in New York City.

Some very talented body painters, who would transform the models bodies into living, breathing works of art, joined the models.

The theme for this year’s Bodypainting Day was "inner beauty" and the models and artists worked together to create some truly beautiful and inspiring works of art.

Bodypainting Day brings the beauty of body painting to the streets of the Big Apple.

The event gave the public a chance to see art being created before there very eyes.

Credit: John Ahearn
Model shakes her hand to keep the circulation going while posing for very elaborate body painting design.

As the models disrobed and the body painters prepared to paint them, they were surrounded by a sea of photographers.

From the public viewing area, people were taking pictures with there cell phones, while other people were stopping by to see what was going on.

Everyone seems to be enjoying the day, from the public, to the artists and to the models who all seem to be wearing big smiles that brightened up the day.

The location provided some stunding backdrops as a male model poses with female model Anne Brakel against a flowing fountain that was framed with a steel pavillion and lush green tree leaves.

Model Anne Brakel was painted in swirling rows of red, blue and gold strips which were created by body paining artist Xiomara Babilonia.

Body painting artist Andy Golub was busy painting a female fitness model shades of red, white and blue, with some gold and black added to his creation.

Credit: John Ahearn
Body painting artist Andy Golub painting a body building model.

Besides body painting models on the streets of New York City, Andy Golub is the artist that envisioned and created the first Bodypainting Day in 2014.

Over the past three years, Bodypainting Day has become an international event with Bodypainting Day in New York City on July 9, Amsterdam on August 20 and San Francisco on October 23, 2016.

Andy Golub had been painting models on the streets of New York since 2009, but was often harassed the police and was kicked out of Times Square in 2009 for painting a male and female model wearing g-strings.

After contacting a lawyer, he decided to fight police harassment.

In 2011, Andy Golub painted fully nude models and was promptly arrested.

Although harassed by police and arrested for painting topless models on New York City streets, Golub won in court the right to body paint models in public, even nude models.

Credit: John Ahearn
Adding a little pink body paint to golden face model.

Subsequently, NYC legal department informed him that he could legally paint fully nude men or women, day or night, on any public street of New York City and all charges against him were dismissed.

There was a cornucopia of styles at this year’s Bodypainting Day.

One model's body painting captured a giant heart and white doves on the front with the legend "Love Your Self" and on the back was a tombstone to "Here Lie Self Hate".

Another model was painted in long, angle wings.

Cosplay and superheros were also represented with a blonde model sporting a toonish like superwoman costume with oversize red bowtie, white sailor t-shirt, blue short and pink knee high stocks.

The complete superwoman toonish outfit was created with body paint.

From very colorful abstract designs, to very elaborate detailed painting, all types of body painting art were represented.

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Body Painting Returns To The Sidewalks Of New York City

Credit: John Ahearn
Artist and body painter Danny Setiawan keeps a careful eye on the model face painting.

It almost time for body painting to take over New York City with the 3rd annual Bodypainting Day to take place on Saturday July 9, 2016 at 12:00 PM EDT.

What started three years ago under the beautiful trees of Central Park has blossomed into an international event with Bodypainting Day being celebrated in New York City on July 9, 2016, in Amsterdam on August 20, 2016 and in San Francisco on October 23, 2016.

In New York City, this year’s Bodypainting Day will take place at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza which is located at 47th Street and 2nd Avenue in New York City were 100 body painting artists will paint 100 nude models between 12:00 pm and 4:00 pm.

The public is invited to watch as the artists turn the models into beautiful works of art.

Credit: John Ahearn
Model enjoy a quick pick me up during body painting session.

Some of the artists that will participate in Bodypainting Day 2016 include Andy Golub, who organized the first Bodypainting Day in 2014.

Andy Golub had been painting models on the streets of New York since 2009, but was often harassed by the police and was kicked out of Times Square in 2009 for painting a male and female model wearing g-strings. After contacting a lawyer, he decided to fight police harassment. In 2011, Andy Golub painted fully nude models in Times Square and was promptly arrested. After legal proceedings, NYC legal department informed him that he could, in fact, legally paint fully nude men or women, day or night, on any public street of New York City and all charges against him were dismissed.

Breanna Cooke is a body painter and costumer artist who combines her artistic skills to make mythical creatures come to life.

It will be interesting to see what type of creatures she creates at this year Bodypainting Day.

Credit: John Ahearn
Artist Ashley Breaux applies body paint to the model.

An international body painter and a spoke person for body painting is artist Craig Tracy, who is also a judge on the Skin Wars body painting television show, a jury member at the World Bodypainting Festival and one of the cofounding artist at the first NYC Bodypainting Day in 2014 and each subsequent event.

Among his notable works is the body painting project for the Save China’s Tigers project and his unique ability to camouflage models within paintings.

There will be 100 body painting artists at Bodypainting Day 2016, so if you are in New York City on Saturday, July 9, be sure to stop by and watch as these very talented artists create living, breeding works of art.

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Body Painting Returns To The Sidewalks Of New York City.

Body Painting - All Eyes On the Models - Part II

Credit: John Ahearn
Body painted models check out Citibikes.

Just as the body painted models began to pose for the group pictures, the skies turn dark and a light rain began to fall.

If there is anything more feared by a body painted model it is water, for water can turn elegant body paint into a flowing sea of dripping paint.

Fortunately, the rain lasted only for a half hour or so, and the model then proceeded to march from Central Park at Columbus Circle to Time Square.

If all the world is a stage, then these body painted models managed to use all the props to their advantage.

On the march to Times Square, the models stop to pose with artwork in the streets.

Credit: John Ahearn
Body painted model strikes a photographer stopping pose.

They use traffic lights and scaffolding, to display their creative dance poses.

As the body painted models passed by outdoor restaurants, the dinners and waiters would rush for their cell phone cameras to capture the models.

The models were treated to a barrage of smiles as they made there way down Broadway.

Two beautiful body painted models were checking out the Citibikes under the watchful eyes of the M&M guys.

Perhaps next year they will ride down the avenue on bikes.

The New York Body Painting Day was the brainchild of New York artist Andy Golub who was arrested in 2011 for painting a topless model in Time Square, even though it is legal for a woman to go bare chest in New York City.

Considering all the smiles and clicking cell phone cameras from tourists and residents alike, this could be an yearly event to rival the Mardi Gras in New Orleans or Carnival in Rio.

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Go to Body Painting - All Eyes On the Models - Part I

Body Painting - All Eyes On the Models - Part I

Credit: John Ahearn
Model with body painted face on her back.

In 1492 Columbus was credited with the discovery of America, and on Saturday July 26, 2014 New Yorkers and the world discovered the beautiful combination of art painted onto the naked bodies of models.

Perhaps it is only fitting that the Columbus entrance to New York City's Central Park anchored by the USS Maine National Monument with the white Museum of Arts & Design in the background served as the backdrop for the first New York City Body Painting Day.

Under partly cloudy skies, a group of 40 models and 30 plus body painting artist combined their collective talents to create 40 beautiful, living, breathings works of art.

All eyes were on the colorful eyes painted onto the models.

Credit: John Ahearn
Model with big body painted eye lids.

From the all seeing eye, to extra large eyes painted onto the models eyelids to haunting eyes embedded in a full face - eyes were one of the common theme of the body painted models..

One models back was transformed into a bluish white canvas, upon which a complete face was body painted.

The face was painted with extra large, beautiful haunting eyes, nose and large, open mouth.

The model's very pink red hair served as a perfect crown for this unique portrait.

As the model slowly raised both arms in unison from her hips to over her head, she animated the body painted face.

The face seemed to come alive as the model raised and lowered each shoulder in slow motion belly dancer moves.

As the model moved, the eyes grew wider and the mouth moves to the models body movements.

Quite a mesmerizing experience, indeed.

Credit: John Ahearn
Body painted model use sidewalk seats to perform sexy dance moves.

Media coverage of the event was worldwide with both television, still photographers and crowds of mobile phone camera citizen journalists distributing pictures of the event to television, print and internet news sources throughout the world.

A Fox television cameraman was focuses on the riveting, large eyes that were painted on the closed eyelids of a red head, blue body painted model.

Eyes and faces were some of the themes embellished on the body painted models.

In addition to the two painted eyelid eyes, this model body painting sprouted more than eight additional eyes including a large all seeing eyes created out of her belly button.

Social Media was also a buzzed with pictures from the New York Body Painting Day with coverage on Facebook, Flickr and Twitter

After the models received the final touches of body paint, they assembled for a group picture prior to the marching down Broadway in New York City to Times Square.

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