Skin As Paper

Just over a month ago I posted a video on my Facebook page in which I spoke about loss with my good friend Lauren. If you haven’t seen this yet then it’s worth a watch. Lauren’s Nan sadly passed away a year ago and as a way to remember her she asked if I could turn all of her family’s cherished memories of her Nan into a poem. This poem finished with a phrase that her Nan would always say, “love you most”. Lauren has since had these three words tattooed onto her wrist as a way to carry her Nan with her for the rest of her life.

I’ve written a number of blogs now on the theme of “Paperless Poetry” and Lauren’s tattoo got me thinking about how a person’s body could essentially be used in place of paper. Now, obviously I wasn’t about to go and ask someone to get a permanent tattoo for the benefit of my blog. So I decided to get in touch with a lovely lady who I worked with last year on a styled wedding shoot – Mazz Loxton.

Mazz Loxton is a hair and makeup artist based in Sheffield. She is also an award winning body painter. “I have experience painting at public events, photoshoots, film, celebrations and competitions. I just love the challenge of a creative brief, and the opportunity to create meaningful, impactful art.”

I sent Mazz four lines from a bespoke poem I had previously written for a bride to remember her mum on her wedding day and asked whether it would be possible to paint it onto skin. Now, ideally this would have been added to someone’s upper leg, chest or lower back, all of which are more private and provide a bigger canvas to work with in terms of painting. However, given the current circumstances of lockdown, Mazz only had her own body to work with. As such, she had a go at painting the poem freehand onto her wrist:

I love the idea that a bride could use this as a way to have a lost loved one right there with her on her wedding day. Or perhaps they could have their favourite quote or saying added around their thigh in place of a garter. If you would like to find out more about body painting, whether it’s for a wedding, a baby shower or something different entirely, then please get in touch with Mazz through her website or her Instagram page.

All of my poems and quotes are protected under Copyright ©️ Sally R. Wilkes of Rhymes To Remember and are registered with The UK Copyright Service. They may not be reproduced in any form without my written permission.