Frequently Asked Questions Where are you located? Near Greensboro, North Carolina. Do you know any bodypainter that you could refer me to in my area? Likely not, Sorry! Bodypainters are a rare breed here in America. We have folks contacting us all the time asking us about events and private sessions from all over the country. While we know many fine artists, it's very rare that we can match people up. Do you do private sessions? Yes, although we lead pretty busy lives and scheduling can sometimes be a challenge. Most people who are interested in this contact us from different parts of the country, that's fine we love house guests. We live in the center of the eastern part of the country and we are a twelve-hour drive from both New York and Florida. We have a painting studio upstairs, and a photography studio as well. Why not come and make a weekend of it? What about painting expectant mothers? We love pregnant moms and have painted quite a few. Check it out here What kind of paint do you use? What kind of brushes? You would be amazed how many times people ask me that question! It's a water based paint that's gentle on the skin. It's non-toxic and non-irritating and it comes off pretty easily with soap and water. That "Goldfinger" thing about covering up the body and killing someone is nonsense. Besides I am not yet wealthy enough to try dipping someone entirely in pure liquid gold! All paint is applied by hand with a brush, often a Japanese sumi bush. I haven't used an airbrush in 15 years and haven't tried it in the body painting. The trick to making something look interesting in body painting is the same in calligraphy - alter your brush strokes between the natural thick and thin lines that a good brush will spontaneously produce. It's ALL about the brush, baby! How long does it last? How do you get it off? Usually the challenge is to keep it on, not the worry of never getting it off. It's good for about a day, and then it starts fading so badly that it just doesn't look good anymore and it seems to make sense to head to the showers. A little scrubbing and a little soap does the trick! Is the paint environmentally friendly? We use professional make-up grade products made specifically for our artform. It is non-toxic and friendly to the skin. Check out or friends at SillyFarm if you want to get some of your own! What does it cost to get my body painted? It's depends on the venue and the complexity of the design. I'm well rewarded in many ways. Body painting also a good way for me to get out from behind a computer and back behind a brush - to think fast on my feet and see what will arise in each unique situation. Someone recently suggested to me that I ought to accept a "love offering" should anyone inquire about compensation - apparently not a term everyone is familiar with. The first woman I mentioned this to looked at me for a long moment, smiled and asked, "Do we do that now or after I've been painted?" Do you sell the pictures of your work? At the present time I am building a portfolio of my work that I hope to make into a book someday. To that end I am now collecting model releases of all the folks I work with. Images are also used in other promotional and commercial applications. Where did you learn to do this? How long have you been doing this? Entirely self-taught. I have worked for many years as an illustrator/designer/art director/multimedia developer/art guy, but never thought to try body painting until a friend asked my to paint on her arm at a festival on the summer solstice in 2002. You can see some of my other artistic and professional work at www.scottfray.com. Do you know what you're going to paint ahead of time? Almost never. It's such an amazing dance that happens! Over time, I have developed a certain kind of visual vocabulary, which I can draw on to fulfill certain artistic ideas I might have. But I am always trying to listen to a certain kind of guidance that will bring forth an inspiration unique to the person before me. Often I feel as if I am actually painting them as they more truly are, just a larger and more resplendent version than they might otherwise be able to show. How long does it take to get painted? 4-5 hours for studio work. Event painting will go by much quicker. Sometimes I'll have quite a line of people waiting, too. I've been amazed and, of course, very complimented at the length of time people will wait for me. Even at highly charged events like Burning Man where there is so, so much to do and see, I've had folks spend their whole day waiting - sometimes eight hours - for me. That's even with me busting ass to get everyone done as fast as I can (while still doing quality work). That's a lot of painting during the day! Do you accept fanmail? Good heavens, yes! Send your thoughts, comments, and party invitations to livingbrush@aol.com