This article appeared in Brush Stokes Magazine
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The United Kingdom |
UK Face and Body Art Convention, Telford, EnglandWritten by Claire Howkins
A report on the recent UK convention from organiser, Claire Howkins. The UK Face & Body Art Convention kicked off, Hollywood style, last Friday at the Park Inn Hotel, Telford. We were fortunate enough to have some of the freshest, most talented, face and body painters from around the globe, from the gorgeous Liz Bylett, the incredibly talented Cree Dykins, the queen of eye bling Kerry-Anne Smith, tigress Christina Davison and the Axel Rose wannabe Mark Greenawalt to name just a few! The convention was attended by over 200 delegates over the three days who were treated to demonstrations from our dazzling array of instructors, the opportunity to watch and learn from our talented body painters who busied away at American themed designs, and more opportunities than ever before to take 'hands-on' classes in henna, balloon modelling, body and face painting. My job as Convention Manager was extremely busy, making sure everyone had all the infomation they needed and were having a good time!! Thankfully, everything ran almost according to plan (with the exception of my speeches - which were pants!) As with all good face and body painting meet ups, the evenings were all about letting your hair down and having a great time. Friday night was race night! Attendees were given the opportunity to purchase a horse in advance and some of the names the poor horses were given were a real eye-opener. I shall forever have the memory etched on my brain of the gorgeous Louise MacDonald yelling like a mad woman at a TV screen and whooping whilst flailing her arms in the air when her horse came in first!!! Absolutely a moment to treasure. Saturday night promised to be more refined. The team had planned an Oscar's Night, complete with champagne fountain, showgirls and the Rat Pack. We obviously did not reckon on Caroline Hill's perfect rendition of MC Hammer's 'Can't Touch This' dance, Cree's delicate and dainty footwear which blended in so well with her stunning dress, Lee Cunningham's proof of 'I am a true Scotsman in this kilt' and the stamina of Lisa Robinson - who quite literally danced ALL night! Awards were given to Amanda Williams for Face Painter of the Show, Cree Dykins for Face Painter of the Year, Heather Sharp for Body Painter of the Year, and Charlotte Daubney who won the Youth Award. Sunday morning was slightly more subdued but soon everyone was flowing through the retailers room where the credit crunch seemed to have no hold! Classes were held again throughout the day and final goodbyes at 4.30pm I am really proud to be part of this event, I have made some fantastic new friends, met with some old buddies and learnt more in three days than I have over the past year. Rosey, myself, and the rest of the convention team are already working on next year's event so would appreciate any feedback on this year, ideas on what you would like to see next year and other ideas/comments you may have. I am now off to bed for the next seven days as I really need to recover! All photos copyright Emma Cammack at www.emmacammack.com |
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