The Professional Body Painter François Rose

I was born and raised in Belgium, where I still live with my two children. I started painting on skin at “Bicolline” a Live Action Role-Playing game in Québec, in the late 1990s. I was a nerdy Jack-of-all-trades in both my professional and artistic life at that time, and I never thought it would become my job eventually. But I never left this track.

In 2004, I set up an artist collective with fellow face-painters, in order to bring ourselves to a professional level. For 10 years, we have been organizing bodypaint jams, sundry experiments and numerous participations to international bodypainting contests. Personal projects started to alternate with professional commissions in various sectors such as private or public events, advertising, photography, live performances and television.

Professional Body Painter Francois Rose matronche

After winning a bodypainting contest in Belgium in 2006, I competed at the World Body painting Festival and other international contests with good rankings. Consequently, I was invited as a jury member in bodypainting festivals or in make-up schools, and I started teaching at the World Bodypainting Academy in 2013.

This is for the bodypainter side. But when the color fades away under the shower, all you have left are the pictures, which are merely an interpretation of a work gone by. This is why I have become the photographer of my creations. It allows me to ensure the artistic continuity throughout all the steps – painting, photography, retouching – so that these different aspects strengthen each other. As a photographer, I strive to go beyond the cosmetic devices and show the essence of the characters embodied in my models. I try to illustrate an emotion, a universe, rather than displaying a technical skill.

In 2018, I organized the first research laboratory in bodypainting, the “Labodypainting”. It is a yearly gathering of various artists who challenge themselves to bring the boundaries of their art further away by testing and collaborating out of their comfort zone.

Last year, I was challenged by my friend and colleague Lind’Up to create 12 bodypaintings with her in one year, one for each of the astrological signs. The project is now complete and we are proud to share our version of the “zOOdiac” signs, which we turned into offbeat, geeky creatures — respecting the character of the sign, though.

Mother Nature Body Painting by Francois Rose Mother Nature — Model: Dolores