Imagine donning jewelry, lace or plaid — that's 100 per cent paint.
Local artist Lisa Marshall, 30, specializes in realistic 3-D face and bodyart, and at the end May, she won an international award for her work.
The Up and Coming Artist Award was presented to Marshall for her skills, instruction and interaction with fellow painters at the Face and BodyArt International Convention in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
"I am so grateful," Marshall said of the award.
"It was my first year attending, and they don't usually ask people to instruct, but one of the main instructors put in a request that I comedown there and do a demo of the type of stuff that I do."
Marshall can create an illusion of marbles sticking up off the body or paint on a bejeweled necklace complete with 3-D rhinestones. She also paints lace,plaid, patterned face-masks and other more fantasy-styled body art.
Marshall grew up in Comox, and though she painted acrylic on canvas and airbrushed for many years, she just got into face and body art about a year ago. Although she is an education assistant in School District 71,she's always had an interest in art.
Marshall is a single mother, and she said part of the reason she's trying to make a career of makeupartistry is her seven-year-old daughter.
"As a single mom, it's hard to work a full-time job that's not flexible and I need to make sure that I am (flexible) for her," she explained, adding, "I'd like to show my daughter, you know, that I can do something that I love to do and still do everything else, so I would really like to make this into a homebusiness."
During winter 2011 she bought herself a kit to try out makeup artistry. Initially she used it a little bit then put it away. But, when she brought it out again in spring of the same year, shereally took off with the new medium.
"I started playing with it and I just could not put the thing down, and I practised until there was nothing left of it," she said, adding she practised nearly every day and her seven-year-old daughter heard all about it. "So my child is absolutely tired of hearing about face-painting (laughs) but it just became this, I don't know, this awesome thing, that I really love todo."
Marshall paints people of all ages for special occasions like birthdays, corporate events, festivals, bridal showers, costumes,theatre, fun family portraits and "especially" Halloween.
For more information including examples of Marshall's work, visit her company — Silver Cord Creations (http://silvercordcreations.webs.com) or call LisaMarshall at 250-650-6553.
Also, at the beginning of May, a friend of hers opened Ginger9 Studio & Gallery, which features an art gallery, studio work spaces, art lessons, drop-in ceramics and printing services. Marshall will host face paint and u-paint ceramics birthdayparties out of the studio and gallery.
Ginger9 is at the bottom of Ryan Road hill at 130-211 Centennial Drive. The phone number is 250-339-6463.
Marshall stressed that craft supplies should never be used for body art,especially on children. She uses FDA approved hypo-allergenic cosmetics.