Body Painting Therapy

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I do not have scientific proof for the benefits of body painting therapy. I do know that body painting can be therapeutic in many ways. The process of transformation is a long and tiresome process but despite this it is very relaxing and soothing for the person becoming art. It allows for a time of disconnect. The real world starts fading away as a new reality emerges in which the model is the main character. This also brings an effect of amusement to those who are observing the process. Believe me, looking at the product of the body painting doesn’t compare to witnessing the process.

11913543_10150633010174956_5469731122178626958_oBody painting allows a person to see something about them that is often hidden deep inside. I try to design and paint on a person something that I see in their personality or character. “More than meets the eye” is often said but how often we allow to dig deeper inside ourselves to see what others see in us? It is easy to look inside someone else and see what we don’t see. By painting on someone, I aim to allow them to see what I see about them so they can see it too. It is art even when I paint a generic design on someone, but it becomes therapy when the vision of the artist is linked to the person being painted.

11794358_10150618692239956_92252936253241039_oAs you may know by now, I don’t just do things for the sake of art or entertainment. I am looking for something else of deep value in everything I do. I am looking for some way to impact the lives of those who encounter my art in some way. The Art of Iván Tirado LLC is much more than just traditional painting and sculpting. Paintings and sculptures are dead if they have no connection to people. The value of speaking and teaching about these things abides in what people can use to make even a slight difference in their lives. It is no different with body painting.

11792121_10150618608369956_5051371325249546126_oWhat if I could see in a person what he or she stopped seeing about himself or herself? What if that vision serves a purpose of healing? What if transforming a person in what is not seen with the naked eye allows to grow and boost self-confidence and a new appreciation of the self? What if body painting is used to help people as a form of therapy?

Visit the Body Painting page.

Art, Photography, and Poetry

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Come close your eyes and dream

Be blown into my arms

I’ll carry you to a new place

Where the music plays a new song

Where reality is gone

All is one and we are each in motion

One with another

Here night is day and day is night

In this place of Reverie

Bradly Williams, author of Love Redefined and Charity, made my sculptures speak, along with the beautiful photography of Judie Shephard in the book The Art of Ivan Tirado. This poem takes us into a journey. It makes us stop from the busyness of everyday life to feel the wind and fly to freedom.

This collaboration is an example of how art, in its multiple forms, speaks to people. I am very passionate with my art. I enjoy getting lost in the creation process. It is no different for my friend Bradly an his writing. His new book “CHARITY, What’s in a name?” is a suspense filled story of a man and the unexpected introduction of a young girl into his life. His previous book “Love Redefined” challenges current social views of love to transform our relationships.

Nevertheless, Judie shows the same passion in her photography. You can enjoy those beautiful pictures in this website because Judie’s vision. Each angle is poetry. She makes my work look really good, and don’t get me started on the portraits. She also takes care of most of the technical aspects of the website and she is available to take care of your website too.

Whatever the art form, whenever you are confronted with it, let art speak. You won’t regret it.

The Deal with Self-Promotion

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A while back I was having a conversation at an art gallery with the curator and another artist. As I am trying to explain my vision and technique the artist said in a sarcastic tone: “You like to talk about yourself a lot”. Although I wasn’t talking about myself I replied: “Yes, I do. You are not going to promote your work for me, are you?”.

1378061_10150322435744956_1463205766_nThe deal with self-promotion is not about talking about yourself or self-adulation. The deal with self-promotion is that no one else can explain or describe your vision and ideas better than yourself. We all have a way to explain what we do. I can be very passionate when explaining what I do. I add a little drama to my explanations too (that might be in the blood or the comedian in me… or both). Explaining my art is no exception. I get very excited when I describe my ideas and process of each piece. I like to tell the stories of the people I teach and encounter and their testimonies because I truly enjoy seeing people happy and satisfied with the experience of art. I am not talking about myself, but I have to talk through myself.

I came across an article by Nathan Hangen, The Art of Shameless Self-Promotion. Hangen stated the difference between self-adulation and self-promotion. The first is when people exalt themselves and their accomplishments in a prideful manner. The second is when people share their vision, concepts, and ideas. The last inspires something. It is important to share the ideas when people fit into them.

It is not about you or what you know. It is about what you do with your knowledge. Powers don’t define a hero. Superman and Zod have the same powers. Each one decided what to do with them. Ideas, vision, and knowledge are like superpowers and part of who you are. What you do with them is up to you. I won’t mind wearing a symbol of hope on my chest. I will wear it shamelessly not for my own sake but for the sake of others. Finding some enemies on the way is just part of the deal.