On April 28th The Singularity presented their 3rd Live Body Art show at The Oh! Bar in Jackson, MI. The date of the show was a milestone for everyone involved. One year prior, creative individuals were planning the first body art show, The Story of Asenath Genesis 41:45, a story of beauty and transformation. Here is the story and the series of full body model shots from the The Story of Olivia, a hybrid tale about the healing power of love.
All body art painted on models are works of Doug Jones, as well as the written story.
The Story of Olivia
I take elements drawn from Welch, “Lady of the Lake,” and Honduran, “Flower of Olivia,” stories.
Craig grew bored of the regular work and chores that people expected him to do each day. Somehow, Craig found a way to escape long enough to spend his days along the shore of the lake until the sun set. (The irony is Craig did not know how to swim. He never learned or taught himself how.)
Craig enjoyed all of his days at the lake. Slowly though, Craig grew lonely.
Then one day, as the sun was slowly setting, he saw something in his peripheral that simply could not be there. He saw a woman. The strangest part, is she hovered above the water about a hundred feet away from him. She looked right at him but she did not move. Craig looked to make sure she was there. She was.
I painted the first model as the shimmer of the lake at the time of the setting sun. I use a gradient to illustrate the colors of the forest on the lake’s surface and the twinkle in the woman’s eyes. I paint freckles along her shoulder.
Photographs above by Kaiti McDonough
Photographs above by Justine Melville
He called for her asking for her to come towards him. The woman did not budge. Suddenly, Craig remembered the flower he picked on his way to the lake that day. So, he grabbed it and held it up. Still, the woman did not move. The sun set and she never came nearer. Craig went him and agonized that night. He told his mom about it. She laughed and told him to pick a prettier flower.
The next day, Craig found a prettier flower on his way to the lake. He looked for hours to find the flower he chose. It was only dulled when compared to one that was impossible to get. The prettiest flower was surrounded in thorns and thickets. So Craig picked the one he could get and stood at the shore waiting for the woman to appear. The sun was nearly set and Craig did not see the woman. He worried she might never again appear. Suddenly, the woman reappeared even more beautiful than she appeared the first day. Craig presented the prettier flower. She did not budge. The sun set, and she never came nearer.
Craig went home that night. Again, he agonized. His mom laughed and told Craig to pick the prettiest flower. His future wife was worth the trouble. She knew it. Craig knew it. The woman at the lake clearly knew it.
Craig spent nearly the entire day getting to the prettiest flower in the forest. This time when Craig presented the prettiest flower in the forest, the woman hovered near to Craig and said, “What do you want?”(Craig noticed only one blemish about her. She had a series of freckles on her shoulder.)
Craig was stunned.
He said, “I want you to be my wife.”
The woman, Olivia, said, “On two conditions: that you return tomorrow ready to by my husband. The second condition: that you promise to never strike me. If you strike me three times, I will leave you and never return.”
Craig went home overjoyed. His mom laughed.
When Craig returned the next day, he found an old man hovering above the lake where the woman had been. He had a woman at each side. The women looked identical.
The man said, “I am the king of this lake and these are my two daughters. My daughter told me that you wanted to marry her. I have one condition for you. You let me know which one of these women is the woman you asked to be your wife yesterday, and you will have my blessing.”
Craig thought about it. Just when Craig thought he was going to fail, he noticed a series of freckles on one of the woman’s shoulders. He pointed and said, “It is her.”
The king said, “Yeah, that’s the one. So, I’ll honor my word and you’ll have my blessing in marriage. On top of that, whatever she can say in a breath, I will give it to you.”
Olivia came close to Craig and said, “Ok. I’ll be your wife. But remember your promise. If you strike me three times, I will leave you and never return.”
Olivia took a giant breathe and she muttered all sorts of things (horses, cows, a beautiful home, a garden, trees, a big yard, a car for you, a car for me…). All of a sudden, all of those things rose from the lake and began to float onto shore.
Craig and Olivia became the wealthiest couple in town, and they were happy. First, Olivia gave birth to her daughter. A few years later, Olivia gave birth to her second daughter.
I call the second model, “The Bride.” I paint Olivia’s daughters at her sides. I also paint the joy that family can bring, illustrated in faces.
Photographs above by Kaiti McDonough
Photographs above by Justine Melville
Through a strange set of events, Craig strikes Olivia three times and she leaves him forever.
I call the third model, “Despair.” She represents Olivia’s sadness and happiness. I paint the sorrow Craig and his daughters felt when Olivia went away. I paint the life of the child. Most importantly, I paint Craig’s heart and the failing presence of Craig and Olivia’s love.
Photographs above by Kaiti McDonough
Photographs above by Justine Melville
Craig agonized for weeks. He spent every night at the lake. The girls grew up with their grandparents. One night, Craig swam out to find Olivia. He never returned. Craig and Olivia’s daughters were orphans. The girls, women now, began to use the lake the same way their parents did.
One day Olivia appears and tells her daughters the whole story, including the part about the flower. Olivia said, “My entire life, I only wanted to bring healing to the suffering. I just wanted to make it better people. Now, you are blessed with the same gift. Knowing that, I planted this flower all over the forest. Use this flower to help heal people.”
According to Welch tradition, this is how medicine was born.
I call the fourth model, “Love.” She represents Olivia’s dream. Olivia sought to heal the world. She was strong and delicate like the petals of any flower. Her heart makes the world better.
Photographs above by Kaiti McDonough
Photographs above by Justine Melville
I call the fifth model, “The flower of Olivia.” She was chosen to be painted in front of the live audience. The colors are unique and vibrant combinations to demonstrate the healing power of love. Our story begins and ends with a single flower.
Photographs above by Kaiti McDonough
Photographs above by Justine Melville
Photographs above by Kaiti McDonough
Until the next, take care. ❤
the Singularity 