Naked models are painted and posed to create a Mexican sugar skull. Credit: Rene Rodriguez/Bournemouth News/REXThis may look like an ornateMexican sugar skull but a closer inspection reveals it is made up of cleverly painted people.
The artwork by North Carolina-based artist Cheryl Lipstreu is comprised of seven nude women who have each been covered in sparkling white body paint and brightly colored shapes and patterns.
Artist’s viewpoint
“I really enjoyed it because it was like a modern take on a famous inspirational work by Salvador Dali. I love the Day of the Dead and find it really fascinating,” says Lipstreu, body artist based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Deathly message hits photog’s soul
For artwork photographer Rene Rodriguez, a health scare in 2004 made him cherish this Mexican tradition. “The iconography of the sugar skull and the meaning behind the Day of the Dead really touched me,” he said. “Having thought about my own mortality and death it spoke to me on a primal level and I became addicted to looking at these visuals.”
By the numbers: 4
It takes Lipstreu four hours to paint the models. The artist said: “Initially I positioned all the models on the floor and then roughly sketched out a design on them. Then I painted each one with the help of some assistants.”
