Body Image

Photo by : Bill K

I have said before that I am comfortable in my own skin.... and I am. But that doesn't mean that there aren't parts of my body that I look at and say "Ug,need to work on that"   That I am not still striving to make my body the best it can be.... not compared to somebody else ( though I won't lie, there are people out there that yes, I  think things like " wish I had those arms /abs, legs"..but I am perfectly aware that my body may very well just be different...and I accept that - other people's bodies don't  obsess me. ) 

There are parts of my body that make me glad for Photoshop. ( yes, you know it gets used....not extensively , but yes, my images go through post production, except for a very few) 

You may ask what? What do you work on?  First, I try to pay attention to what and how I eat ( do I fall down sometimes? Of course! I love junk food just as much as the next person....but I do TRY to limit it to one cheat day a week....and even then,I don't go totally nuts.... I may have a muffin, or some ice cream, or chips.... I don't go to the all you can eat buffet and have several plates mounded with food PLUS desserts and drinks.  I try to even keep my cheat days under some control. 

I exercise ( I try every day, but it usually does fall somewhere between 3 and 6 times a week) 30 min to an hour, with an occasional 1.5 hours.... but that is usually something like Yoga or Pilates . 

I will share with you my body demons.... the spots that I never am QUITE happy with.  I tell myself that they are BETTER, but then I tell myself they could still be better.  I don't obsess...it doesn't consume my every waking moment , but during a shoot, I think about them,and the ways to make them look their best ( posing really is half the battle , right there) 

My arms.... I come from sturdy German ( and Irish, Dutch, Welsh, English, French,  and Cherokee) stock.  Many women in my family are busty and have very sturdy, no nonsense arms. On one hand, they are strong, I have made them so, I can carry rocks, dig holes,heave things around without very much trouble.  On the other hand, my upper arms are thick, and at the moment, not as defined as I would like.  I continue to work on that.  

The eternal woman's lament... My thighs and butt.  I am not looking for "the gap" or the "hip bridge" ( though I do almost actually have the bridge) But that spot at the inner thigh....it's just so....jiggly.  My Butt, I miss the perky butt of my youth.  ( don't we all) But again, this legs and butt can run a 5 K , and a 10 minute ( sometimes better) mile.  They can climb, and jump and bend and carry this body of mine.... as well as a fair amount more( I have forgotten how much I squatted, last time I did, but it was a fair amount considering my size)  

Those little pockets of fat, near the back..between the butt and the back....you know the ones, the ones that overflow with tight jeans like froth, the muffin top I guess.  Fat.... you can't spot lose fat.  It goes away when it wants to.  You can spot tone muscle,but the fat that lays on top of that.... It comes off only with all over fat burning. The cardio, the tabata, the diet.  One may lose fat in their face first, or their boobs.  Their arms or their hips.... it all depends on your own body ,and one must be patient with it.  

I used to really want longer legs,but art modeling, believe it or not helped me over that hurdle.  There are standard human proportions, in height, in width, in the length of an arm a leg or a hand.  They, obviously vary in real life from person to person. I have found that the typical ones in the books( 8 heads high, with the legs, hip to toe ,at 4 high, three heads wide at the shoulder) I have them.... I have the classic human female proportions,and that isn't a bad thing... it helps me to be a better teaching tool, and I am pretty sure, helps get me call backs.    

As far as goals go- I want to improve definition, ( everywhere)  I want to see that I have muscles....darn it, I am working hard for them, I want to see them! My goal is not to look like a body builder....I don't want a diet or a lifestyle that extreme. ( and yes, those ladies WORK HARD for that - I respect them immensely,and there is beauty in that level of athleticism) My goal is to be strong,and be healthy, and for it to show. I am a work in progress, and probably will be the rest of my life.  But really it isn't about  reaching the goal, it is about working towards the goal, once you have set it.   

Just because I model, doesn't mean I am immune to body image issues, and might be MORE likely to deal with them, just because the whole business is so focused on that.... I still look in the mirror someday and am surprised by what I see in it.... I do not expect to see a body that is this size....I expect bigger, significantly bigger. But that doesn't mean I can stop, not for any decent length of time....health and weight-loss, doesn't just STOP...it is ongoing and must continue your whole life,if you are to improve or even just maintain. It is so worth it though.  Your heart, your brain, your entire body  will thank you,and run the better for it.     

     

     

The Scream

Photo by: Michael Barton Art

Win Some, Lose Some

Photo by: Michael Bsrton Art

Photo by MYK Productions

Modeling seems to be a hit or miss type of job. Timing, Schedules and most importantly LOOK all seem to be key in getting published ( or anything else) Connections don't hurt either.

The wins for today... Got news that the first image, above,  that I had entered in a contest over at Obscure Magazine  won FIRST PLACE ( voted on by the staff members, for pose, look, quality etc.) Which means in May's edition I will have a two page spread.  To say that I am excited by this,would be an understatement.  They are very picky about their images, and only pick real quality and artistry.  So this is a great honor for me, no question. I really wasn't expecting a win AT ALL, so to say I was surprised, and pleased.... yeah, you get it.

The lose for the day- The second picture,from a set done over a year ago, and recently gotten back to me, has now had two magazines turn it down,siting "quality" issues.  the second one,actually gave me a little more saying the retouching seemed to be over done and covering up for over exposure.  Which it wasn't... I get what the photographer was trying to do, and agreed with it...it was all for the "look" of this kind of hi-tech, Geisha shoot.  But the fact that two magazines have said the same thing ,says to me that this set isn't going anywhere, which sucks- because I really like it...it's fun.  BUT not everyone sees the same things,not everyone appreciates the same things, and that is something that needs to be accepted as well.

As a model, you have to be ok with rejection. Sometimes it is kindly done, sometimes not as much.  You have to not take it personally, not beat your head against the proverbial brick wall and just move on to the next thing, the next shoot, the next submission. Know the difference between  it won't happen, and it won't happen "now" .  I am trying, I certainly am.    

Comic con plans

Photo by Rich K.

I have talked a bit about being a bit of a comic book / Sci fi geek before.  I also like to Cosplay, at least for shoots and such.  This was my first foray into it in 2012.  I don't sew, so have to but the bits and pieces of a costume at various places, such as ebay, Etsy, Amazon and the like.  You really can find and come pretty close,if you look hard enough.

In August I am planning to go to the Chicago Comic con with some friends ( and hubby)  and am planning to dress as the comic version ( not the movie version)  of Black Widow.... mostly because she wears fairly sensible boots, and not heels! ( I do have an awesome Dark Phoenix costume, but those heels for Con walking? Ouch!)

Some of my friends  that are going with will dress, some will not, and that's ok.  We are all ready planning transportation, who is dressing as what etc. The Con is about being as geeky or non geeky as you want.  ( and lets face it, people watching, panels and  meeting idols! ) I am looking forward to it !  

Maybe,just maybe I will get to meet Stan Lee!  Wouldn't that be just amazing! ( of course if I had an extra 350 or so, I could purchase the "Stan Lee Experience" but I don't have that kind of cash, so I will just have to hope to run into him !

Comfort

Photo by:Michael Barton Art

I am comfortable in my own skin ( no,I was not always) And most of my income from modeling comes from Art Modeling, that is to say ,modeling for painters, sculptors,those that work in graphite, charcoal,pastel and ink.  Most of the time fully nude. ( occasionally in costume) I work at art schools, clubs and for individual artists. I very, very , very rarely do nudes for photographers.

Why?
Well, for me, there has to be a REASON for nude. For example an artist working on how the body moves and works,needs to see the body actually doing it...so, that makes sense, does it not?
People ask "HOW do you DO that?" One key thing is that the artists typically are breaking you down...into proportion, line, shape,shadow.... you really are not being looked at as a body, hardly at all.  Go ahead, watch an artists face while working ,there is a focus, and intent there,that is wonderful to see,and you can see in their eyes, that you could be an apple, or fruit basket sitting there. And that is exactly as it should be.

For photography, There is a different vibe between the photographer and model. There is more interaction,typically. Though photographers also break things down to composition,shadow and light, in my experience there is still an awareness of you as a body.

What have been compelling reasons for doing nudes in the past?

One was for Gracie Hagen's Illusions of the Body series.  For me ,it made a real statement,that I agreed with.  That the way a person holds themselves can make them beautiful, and the perception of beauty perhaps plays too much upon that. So I was happy to contribute images for her upcoming book.

I will be doing a Yoga based shoot soon as well.  One,because Yoga poses are inherently beautiful,and with the addition of shadows  , will be playing off the lines and angles that the body makes. The human body is a beautiful thing It is art,it is beauty, and making it move though yoga or dance is beautiful to capture.

I do, obviously have to trust the photographer as well.  The first time I shoot with someone, probably is not the time to bring it up to me.  It is certainly not the time to bring it up if I am not getting paid for the shoot. If you just want me to stand there,and be naked....that is not a compelling reason for me.  It's just not.  And won't happen.   I am not looking to do Playboy type shoots ( nothing wrong with them,just not me) I am not looking to bare it all,just to do it....I am not looking to prove that I am comfortable,I am not looking to prove that I am desirable. I am just looking to make beautiful images.  Images in different genres, images that call up different emotions.   I am looking to make art.... and if that seems a lofty goal , maybe it is.  Sometimes I will hit the mark, sometimes I won't , but the striving to the goal, is just as important as getting there.
     

Versatility

Photo by  Jack Hall ( Plane Courtesy of the Gauntlet Warbirds)

There are some models who specialize in one or two genres of modeling.  I myself want to do and experience as many different types as I can .  This particular shot is from my very first true retro  pin up style shoot, that I did my own make up and hair.  ( I had tried once before, but didn't quite get the feeling)
I had done pin up before, but it is a lot easier to get the look when your wardrobe, hair and makeup are all done for you.  Those Victory Rolls? That was an hour of cursing and fussing and fighting with my hair to do ( after looking at lots of pictures and you tube videos  . That make up? That was watching over a dozen youtube videos and finding appropriate reference material to study.

That's the thing, I suppose.  It is easier to stick with one or two generes, you get to know them, you are comfortable in them.  Switching it up, requires research on poses to wardrobe to make up to hair to facial expressions,every time you do something different, you should study and prepare.... and if you aren't, well, prepared to do that with every new style, then be safe and stick with the ones you know.

I like to be constantly learning, and I like to research, so doing different things,is fun for me.  I don't want to get stuck doing just one thing... I want to try it all ( or at least all I am suited for) from lifestyle to glamour. Pin-up to fetish. Art to Commercial. Tattoo to Editorial. I want to do it all, and I seem to be steadily working toward that goal, and getting acknowledged for it.      

Wardrobe- What to do?

Photo by Al DaValle

 

Photo by: Thom Rouse

One issue facing many freelance models is wardrobe.  You don't want to go to more than 1 or 2 shoots with the same clothing, and if you still work Trade for Time/ Trade for Pictures  ( TFT or TFP ) you aren't getting paid, therefore spending much extra money on clothing that you may or may not use again in real life doesn't appeal ether. ( Not to mention storing the clothing, for some nebulous future use)

So what options does one have?

For me, it depends.  My first choice generally is the thrift store, for a couple reasons.  The first being cost.  It is inexpensive and one never know what will be found..   You also can simply redonate or sell it again, when you are done and you don't feel too bad, since it was inexpensive to begin with.  I do this quite a bit .  The downside... If you are looking for something VERY specific,you may not have much luck. The other issue, especially if you are doing period or more alternative looks, they also may not have appropriate clothing.

There are also inexpensive lingerie places like Yandy , if bodysuits, fishnet, lingerie is needed or wanted.

If you are handy and can sew, they is also the option of making your own  ( this is not however one of my options, I can't sew on a button!)

Another, newer option is to rent the clothing .  There is a site, specifically for artists, models and photographers called the Clothed Image ( the two images above are pieces from them) They have historical pieces, vintage pieces as well as more alternative pieces.  Add accessories, like hats , jewelry ,  boots, goggles,or what have you, and you have created a unique look.  They mail you your choice, and when you are done you mail it back.  Very easy and un complicated.

Be creative, look around in places you might not normally think of, and most of all have fun.

Commercial VS Art Modeling

Photo by: Cadence Gamache ( Now Mccarrell Photography) 

                           

Photo by: Michael Barton Art

 I ,personally want to experience and try my hand at as many different aspects of modeling as I can.  One difference that many new models don't seem to get is the difference between ART modeling and COMMERCIAL modeling.  These two pictures are a good example.

Now that is not to say that commercial modeling cannot be artistic, or art modeling can't be commercial- that couldn't be further from the truth . But on the whole there are things that go into different categories,  that are styled differently,and done differently. Be aware.
One key is  lighting, as you can see is very different, the finishing is very different.  The general purpose,of course is very different.

Obviously Art Modeling is all about the image, and can be moody, and heavy on shadow ( or not,it is of course ART after all)  It can be simple, or not, depending upon the artist. It can be heavily phtoshopped, or not at all,depending on the image, the model sometimes,unrecognizable as the model, or sometimes even as a human figure.

Commercial modeling is to showcase either clothing, or the model themselves.  The shadows tend not to be as deep, the skin is flawless, the background may or may not be more simple, however.  It is the kind of photography you typically see on billboards, in magazines, in model portfolios.  It is retouched,cleanly, and again the focus is on the model.

I enjoy doing both.( though to be honest, I probably enjoy art modeling a touch more.... but I think that is indeed the artist in me, and I know I enjoy making darker images more)   I enjoy looking at both...but KNOW what your photographer does best, and know what type of image you need for submissions or portfolio or whatever you are planning to use your image for.  Educate yourself about what you need.  

Publication and Making it

                          Photo by: Michael Jones Sootie's Doll Photography

Many models have a goal... to "make it" but what does that mean?  Undoubtedly for many, Publication.  In a book, in a magazine, ads, bill boards. I am no exception, though my version of "making it" might be slightly different than some models.

I will never be a runway model ( with the slight possibility of being a"gimmick" in some show....you know the ones that use older people in mohawks, or people that are real sized.  Every year, some designer mixes these types  into the mix of the more typical runway fare. But then, the "gimmicks" are really never seen again)
I am too short, not thin enough , not young enough, and I am fine with that.

But my goal is still publication.
And I have been, over 13 times, in the last year- year and a half.  All of them small, web based magazines ( which means you can get them as a solely digital copy or order a printed copy, which is printed up and  bound per order...one at a time.  Usually though portals such as MagCloud)
I am also in an online catalog for a   clothing rental and sales business targeted to models  called The Clothed Image      and I will soon be online for a company called ECONICA ( so far just on Etsy, but she will be launching a stand alone website soon)  BUT..

But does that mean I have "made it" ? Not in my own eyes.  Not one of the publications paid, or the catalog work. ( aside from barter...which is awesome too, I have zero complaints) So what does "making it" mean to me?

Paid work,weather it be being paid by the photographer, or by the business that pictures are being taken for.  Publication in a magazine that one could get at a newsstand.  Work for more catalogs . So what am I saying? More steady paid work.  So goals for this year:
1. Publication in print ( I have done sort of...more on that later-though I will work on a magazine as soon as my tattoo is done)
2. Representation of more clothing and accessory lines .
3. Continuing to be in web based magazines, and web based sites for exposure.
4. Continuing entering contests, not necessarily to win ( though that would be nice) but for the exposure.

 I DO have agency representation ( which for some people, never happens...not with a real life, brick and mortar agency) But as wonderful and nice as they are , over at Kingdom Model Talent Agency I do not leave my working solely in their hands.  I submit sets to magazines, web sites, I check the sites for gigs, almost every day. Lots and lots of e-mails....and network, network, network.

Sometimes things fall into place, sometimes they do not.
I submitted images from the set above to a very arty magazine, I just got word that they like the look, but they are not of the quality that they are looking for.  Such is life....do I resubmit them somewhere else?  Possibly. Or I post them on my FaceBook fan page, and then that is as far as they go.... these are decisions to be made.
I responded to a casting call on ModelMayhem from a wonderful photographer I had worked with a year, maybe a year and a half ago, Gracie Hagen.  She is bubbly and funny and very talented with an unusual eye( and has a great smooshy faced /exotic shorthair cat)  
She is doing a series called Illusions of the Body that has been written up in the Daily Mail  and  Huffington Post  as well as a host of other blogs and websites.  ( note, if you visit the links....they may not be suitable for work viewing, they are nude portraits)
Her concept is this. Create double images with the same model, lighting, post process, background.  One image is in a more conventional "pretty" or model like pose. One that shows off and is meant to be gorgeous.  The next image is sloughed, pulled in, hunched over.... very definitely not pretty.  What I took from it ( and I will not put words in her mouth, this is simply my take on it.  ) It speaks to how we present ourselves, and others perceptions.  If I stand or walk or look "thus"  I am pretty, If I stand or walk or look "this" then I am awkward, and not attractive.  But I am the same regardless.
She has used models, non models, male , female and ALL different body types.  She needed a redhead... and there we go.  I will be published , along with the 49 or so other people in her 8x10 book "Illusions of the Body" around May 1.
SO...Into one publication yesterday, and refused by another....that is this business.  Some you make,some you don't .  

Film

                     Photo by Michael Barton ( with actual film in his Great Grandfathers 4x5 camera)
                     HMUA: Self

Losing weight

I have,over the years, and again yesterday , have people wonderingly ask about my "secret" to losing weight.  "How did you do it? "
Well, there are several things that went into it...let me start at the beginning ( more or less)

I was not a chunky child or teenager , in fact as a child, I was PAINFULLY thin.The biggest things on legs were my knees ( and feet) I was VERY active, though clumsy ( ADHD you know) and this continued into High School.  Even though,because of the developing of Exercise Induced Asthma and really bad knee joints, the activity level dropped off.  I took art instead of gym, I wrote instead of running.
I didn't gain weight though ....even though I ate like most teenagers do...terrible food and a lot of it.
I was what I now know as "skinny fat" very little muscle tone,but still small ( size 5-6,and about 115-120 at 5'4)  This continued well into my 20's .  I would periodically have bouts of attempted workouts, though after a doctor told me I "didn't have the joints" to be athletic, I kind of stopped, other than walking and being active in gardening,cleaning, chores and such.

Weight creeped up, as it does in adult hood. I was in a size 8-10 and 135 when I got pregnant with my daughter in 2000...and after her ,and trying to lose the baby weight I was at about 140.  Again, with not much muscle to speak of...I briefly dropped down into the 130 range with the Atkin's diet.

In 2009 I was 150.

    When I became a surrogate mother in 2010, I started the journey at 160....and ended it at about 195.

So,there we are, end of 2010, 200 lbs. ( there are no pictures of me from this point)
My back hurt, my knees hurt, I was depressed for more than one  reason,as well as it being an ongoing battle in my life.
I told myself, that I needed to make a change, for me.   I wanted my daughter to see the advantage of being mentally healthy and physically healthy. I wanted to prove that I COULD, that I WOULD.
So, when I felt I was able ( about 6-7 weeks after the c-section) I dug out an old workout DVD.  I popped it in, and I did it.  It was an hour long,I made it about half of that.  It was belly dancing ( in retrospect, not the best beginning, after a c-section,  considering) I could barely walk back up my basement stairs, my legs were so week, I almost puked, twice.  But I went back the next day, and did it again, and again, and again.  I added more DVD'd to my collection. More dance ( ballet, Bollywood, hula, Brazilian , hip hop) Martial arts, Yoga, Pilates, Budicon,  Sword fighting, kickboxing, kettelbell, Cardio, Circuit training , HIT, Strength, Tai Chi,  Piloxing.  The DVD's got harder, and more intense.  I started running a couple times a week( more like a really slow jog at first) I ran 1 mile, 2 miles, eventually up to 3.  I ran my first 5 K....I ran the whole way and finished.  My second, I finished in the middle of my pack of age mates...My third, I got third place in my age group.  We got an exercise bike, I do that in the winter with weights, or just to mix things up. I started snowshoeing this winter.
I do all kinds of things, so I don't get bored, either in body or mind.

Because of the depression when I started, I was not eating well, AT ALL. But I did force myself to eat.  It wasn't much, but I made a point of trying to be low carb ( not because of Atkins...I just run better over all that way) organic, un processed foods. Fruits, veggies, meat, nuts and seeds. I never was a big pop drinker, so I didn't have that to worry about, but I cut out fruit juice,and drank water or tea. ( I have a host of food allergies, so things like wheat, dairy, chocolate and pork are automatically off the table)

Gradually, the depression lifted, The weight came off.  I liked how I felt, I like how I looked.  By August of 2011, I had met my 3rd goal of "medically" healthy weight of 121, and a size 5( my first was to get to prepregnancy weight, then, it was to be the weight on my drivers licence...130) .

Since then my weight has gone up and down a bit...heaviest 135, lowest 115.  Even at the heaviest, I still was no larger than a size 2 jean....so I think some of that is muscle changes....since muscle weighs more than fat, and takes up less space.

I still eat well ( but allow some cheats...you have to to keep sane) and work out between 4 and 6 times a week. Typically for about an hour...though on rushed days it can be half of that. My depression is lifted, my ADHD symptoms are under control....I feel good.

So.... no secret....no magic bullet, no pill or supplement magically did this. I did.  You can too, if you want.    

airbrush makeup experiments

Well, I finally got to play / practice with the airbrush makeup kit Todd got me for Christmas. I then in late January found natural mineral makeup for it ( made in Nigeria of all places) and had to wait for that to come in.  THEN I had an idea for a shoot ( hasn't happened yet...but will) and had to get some stencils to use.  ( one CAN cut things out oneself.... but oy.

 Not bad for first tries....
What I learned.
 1. Mixing colors for foundation is super easy...getting the RIGHT mix is harder.
2. There is a SUPER fine line between "just enough" and "WAY TOO MUCH"
3. For eye makeup, it's kind of hard to do yourself, unless you are really good and winking both eyes separate from each other ( I am not)
4. You do still need to use concealer.
4. Once you get the hang of it...foundation coverage and evenness is AWESOME.

Fishnet

                            Photo by: Michael Barton Art

Preparation

Tomorrow, I have a shoot with Michael Barton,who is teaching one of his "Noir" workshops....What is Noir photography you may ask?
Well, it is dark,it is moody ...it can be retro ( think Bogey and Bacall) or it can veer off into boudoir/ lingerie. It isn't just one thing, it can encompass quite a bit...it is shadows and angles and attitude with poise.
Some examples from the last one Michael had me work .

                            Photo by Michael Barton

                             Photo by: Michael Barton

                             Photo by: Randall Bullen


There is a moodyness about it ( and yes, one CAN show ones face, these just happen to be some of my favorites...and they happen to not)

Now a workshop /class is a different type of animal in itself...typically 4-10 photographers,and of course the teacher does stop and explain,or point out or give tips...so the flow is a start and stop , not seamless, like the best shoots ( I think) are.  I also will hold a pose for longer,to give everyone a chance to get a shot who wants it...that way the students have a chance to move around and get out of each others way.  I always learn both about photography and what the  different photographers styles are.  Some will ask for a tweak for a pose, some are quiet, some will get in real close, some hang back.  Some react when they are happy with a shot, some are very deadpan, and you only know that they got a great shot, when they send it to you. Some will also keep in contact with you, leading to future shots...some you never hear from again.

Like anything else,soak it up...all the information,all the experiences you can...and have fun with it.

I usually pull 3 or so outfits for a shoot...but I am having trouble deciding today...I have 9 or 10 now....we will NOT use them all, but it does give a large amount to choose from!  I also have to play with my makeup airbrush today, to see if I can use it tomorrow....it might save time, and give a smoother foundation....we will see ( I also just got some stencils to play with....so I will be experimenting today! )  

Impressionistic

                                Photo by: Michael Barton Art

Econica

                     Photo by Michael Barton Art




I love Etsy. I love it for selling ( I paint abstract watercolors and sell them there, the name of my shop is the Modern Red Studio) I really,really love it for buying.
One of my favorites places for clothing is a store called Econica.

Econica is run by Natalia, out of Ontario Canada...and she makes elegant, clean lined ( but with wonderful little details) comfortable clothing out of organic fabrics and dyes. They are custom made, for the most part, to your sizing,wash and wear ( again for the most part) and she makes everything from   everyday skirts and dresses ( formal dresses as well) to scarves, belts  and lingerie.  Natalia gives great customer service as well.
 I had a kimono style wrap top from her out of organic cotton sweat shirt material , dyed a brilliant turquoise.  For whatever reason, a few drops of sweat had discolored the underarms...it wasn't super noticeable,but it bothered me.  I washed it several times,trying to get rid of it,so I sent her an e-mail asking for washing instructions or ideas to fix it.  She said that sometimes it happened, and the only thing that worked was redyeing.  She then either offered to send me a pack of dye to do it myself or to have me  send the shirt  back and she would do it. She apologized that it would have to be a deeper color , to hide the stains....but now I have a wonderful deep blue green wrap shirt ( I chose to have her send me a dye pack...I figured it would be quicker and easier to do it my self)
I would LOVE to be a model for her...I really haven't seen ANYTHING by her that I don't like,and I  would be honored to have my face associated with her lovely clothing.

I have sent her a message, and I do hope she takes me up on my offer .( fingers crossed)

*In the top photo I am wearing one of her hand dip dyed infinity scarves and her Origami Skirt in mink bamboo french terry. ( one of my favorite skirts...it is so soft)
*In the bottom photo I am wearing her Batwing Sleeve Shirt.

                            Photo by: Michael Barton Art