By Alyssa Laube

About: Kinsey Deakin is a Vancouver-based artist working primarily in paint and mixed media. Her vibrantly coloured works use surrealist imagery to create dreamlike worlds where the animal and human form intertwine. Kinsey will be body painting and exhibiting work at this year’s expo.

You have many artistic interests other than body painting, which you will be doing at the expo. Can you name a few of these and how you got started in them?

Yes, I definitely have many interests, and at times it can be overwhelming! I’m a painter, mixed media artist, jewellery maker, hula hoop performer, and most recently, body painter! Hoop dance came only a few years ago, along with jewellery making, which were both mainly inspired by festivals and travelling. As for body painting, I see the human body as a canvas in motion, which makes things even more challenging and exciting! I can also make my own head pieces and accessories for my models costumes.

Why is creating art important to you?

Creating art is important to me because it allows me to express myself. I can be a story teller and share the gift of my imagination, hoping that others are inspired to share theirs.

Your work is very colourful and geometric. How do you like to use colour and shapes in your work?

I use colours and shapes to break apart the canvas. I like the idea of using them to quickly change the direction or mood a painting is going in. I need to feel that my work is balanced before I can see it as complete. Shapes, lines and colours are my tools.

Which cultures or trends inspire you?

I recently taught English in Korea and was inspired by the architecture of their temples. They were very colourful, childlike and detailed. I then traveled most of South East Asia and spent quite a lot of time in Indonesia. I guess you could say that I’ve been deeply influenced by the patterns, people, and nature of Asian culture. The current tropical themes in my work are coming from the nostalgia I feel towards my past travels.

The naked body, particularly women’s bodies, is a reoccurring image in many of your pieces. What about the female form is fascinating to you as an artist?

For me, the female body is just so obviously beautiful and elegant. A lot of my work revolves around nature, and the female form seems to organically occur without me having to think twice about it.

How would you like to explore or develop your art in the future?

That’s a good question. I would like to set up more of my own photo shoots or installation works. I would paint and style the model, build a surreal backdrop (I am greatly inspired by surrealism), then take a photograph of the finished work. The photograph would be the complete art piece. I am greatly inspired by the work of Jee Young Lee, a Korea-based artist.

What will you be showcasing at this year’s expo?

I will be showcasing my body art in the body painting competition as well as putting a couple of mixed media pieces into the art auction. I’m very excited to be a part of this competition!

You can find more of Kinsey’s work at:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Artistic-Bones/186013598258254