An artist’s captivating pictures show naked models all but disappearing into stunning nature scenes — thanks to some very cleverly-applied body paint.
The breathtaking series of images features people who are painted from head to toe to blend into beautiful backdrops of some of America’s most stunning National Parks.
The incredible displays are the work of Dallas, Texas-based body painter Trina Merry, 40, who created them during the coronavirus pandemic.
Incredible! An artist’s captivating pictures show naked models all but disappearing into stunning nature scenes — thanks to some very cleverly-applied body paint (pictured: Schwabacher Landing, Grand Tetons)
Artistic: The incredible displays are the work of Dallas, Texas-based body painter Trina Merry, 40, who created them during the coronavirus pandemic (pictured: Snake River Overlook, Grand Tetons)
Voila! In the mind-bending collection, models who have had their bodies painted by hand can be spotted as they camouflage into the likes of the Biscuit Basin Thermal Pools at Yellowstone
In the mind-bending collection, models who have had their bodies painted by hand can be spotted as they camouflage into the likes of the Reflection Lakes at Mount Rainier National Park, the Biscuit Basin Thermal Pools at Yellowstone National Park, and Oxbow Bend in Grand Tetons National Park.
Trina said she was inspired by the 2020 coronavirus pandemic lockdowns, which have spurred many people to spend more time in nature.
‘During the lockdowns, people have spent more time outdoors and in nature. And the more that we encounter nature, the more we want to care for it,’ she said.
‘This year has been an interesting one. Humankind has been fragile — the very air we breathe could be dangerous, but then again, nature has also been incredibly fragile this year due to climate change.’
Trina has travelled the world painting people into famous landmarks and locations.
So when lockdown began across the US in March, she yearned to get outdoors and indulge in her talent and passion of body painting while visiting places she had never been able to explore before.
Gorgeous: Trina said she was inspired by the 2020 coronavirus pandemic lockdowns, which have spurred many people to spend more time in nature (pictured: Red Rock Mountains at White River Lake, Aspen National Park)
‘I’ve dreamed about doing something like this for years but am usually so booked up in the fall with commissions,’ she said (pictured: Oxbow Bend, Grand Tetons)
Masked up! She selected 11 models, who all wore KN95 masks — which can be seen in some of the images — the shoot (pictured: Mormon Row, Grand Tetons)
‘I had to cancel my pieces at Yosemite because of the intense wildfires and we couldn’t even see the mountain at Mt. Rainier because of the wildfire smoke and fog,’ she said.
‘I’ve self-isolated in my house since March and I just wanted to get out and make some art. I’ve had moments where I just haven’t felt like myself because I couldn’t express myself like I normally can.
‘I’m used to traveling and being on the street, body painting nude people, so having a pandemic hit where I can’t be within six-feet of another person has really had a big impact on me.’
So, as COVID-19 cases dropped in some parts of the country, Trina jumped on the opportunity for a new art project.
She also had more time for this particular project than she normally would.
‘I’ve dreamed about doing something like this for years but am usually so booked up in the fall with commissions,’ she said.
‘Having this break has allowed me to actually bring this art idea to life and I’m grateful for the experience.’
Careful! Trina also said she had to be ‘really selective about who I worked with,’ picking friends as models (pictured: Lake McDonald, Glacier National Park)
Fun times! A special moment was painting her friend, Ann Marie Ogle, at Mt. Rainier and Hoh Rainforest, the quietest place in North America (pictured)
Lots of work: Preparation for the images also took quite a lot of time (pictured: Yellowstone Falls)
She selected 11 models, who all wore KN95 masks — which can be seen in some of the images — the shoot.
Trina also said she had to be ‘really selective about who I worked with,’ picking friends as models.
‘Some really special moments were getting to have a Washington State art adventure with Ann Marie Ogle, my ride or die, who I’ve known since the first grade. We both turned forty this year so it’s been epic. I painted her at Mt. Rainier and Hoh Rainforest, the quietest place in North America,’ she said.
‘My boyfriend Matthew Simmons came to most of the locations and he even stripped down at Yellowstone’s Biscuit Basin and got painted.’
Preparation for the images also took quite a lot of time.
‘First I just did some dreaming and researched different parks. I printed out images and turned my wall into a giant vision board,’ Trina explained.
‘Then I started virtually navigating all the logistics of casting, travel, accommodations, survival gear, finding where I would actually shoot and directions to hike there without cell reception. It was challenging to do this all remotely, but we did our best.
Brr! On the day of a shoot, Trina would start to paint her model 30 minutes before sunrise — even though that often meant they were out naked in freezing temperatures (pictured: Reflection Lakes, Mt. Rainier National Park)
Artistry: The painting would take about an hour and a half, and then Trina would take photographs before they wrapped up and went for lunch (pictured: Max Patch view of the Smoky Mountains)
‘Overall, the experience felt fun and free and was a healing experience,’ she said (pictured: Aspen Birch Trees, Aspen National Park)
‘When we got to most of the parks, we would take time to scout the locations I researched to see what they really looked like. For example, there’s a beautiful image Ansel Adams took at Snake River Overlook in Grand Teton National Park.
‘However, because it was taken eighty years ago, the trees have grown up and covered the river so you don’t see the same through lines. But since I’m a body painter, I thought it would be cool to reimagine that place as Adams saw it and paint the river on the model but still reflect what the place looks like today merging art history with this contemporary happening.
‘Some of my research on the locations really paid off, and the most memorable was at Artist Point. I had read that on a sunny day, we’d see a rainbow around nine-am and it was so magical to see in person.’
On the day of a shoot, Trina would start to paint her model 30 minutes before sunrise — even though that often meant they were out naked in freezing temperatures.
‘This was challenging because some mornings it snowed or my body paint would freeze up,’ she said.
‘But overall, we had models with the absolute best attitudes who did various breathing and movement exercises to keep their bodies warm. I could not have done this series without them.’
The painting would take about an hour and a half, and then Trina would take photographs before they wrapped up and went for lunch.
The entire project took place over the course of one month.
‘Overall, the experience felt fun and free and was a healing experience. I think we are all so excited to have something positive we could focus on during this time,’ she said.
