Pashur...

Q - Please tell us a little bit about yourself
A - I grew up in Nashville, TN. I moved to Orlando, FL in December of 2000. I am an artist; primarily a body painter. The body painting pieces are what I am most proud of.

Q - Your body painting work is amazing, how did you get started in this field?
A - I was doing facepainting to bring in extra cash and realized that painting faster would bring in more income, so I started using an airbrush. The artist in me wanted to do more elaborate and creative pieces and the man in me enjoyed the beauty of a woman’s body, so I started doing body painting on models. Whether my work is looked at as erotic or not is to be determined by the viewer, but regardless, I want the pieces to be considered thought provoking and extraordinary.

Q - How long does it take you to body paint a model?
A - I get lost in the creative process and time slips away… realistically, it takes anywhere from 10 minutes to 5 hours. The time depends on how much of the body I am painting and how much detail I add.

Q - Do you use a computer to retouch your work? If so, what hardware/software do you use?
A - I have a G4 Mac computer and I use Adobe Photoshop to digitally retouch about 2 out of every 10 images I use.

Q - Can we buy prints or t-shirts of your art?
A - Yes. Depending on the art piece, I can even get the model and/or photographer to sign the image. Heck, I can even get the person who developed the picture to sign it for you too. That is how far I am willing to go for my customers and clients.

Q - Do you have any formal training?
A - I took art classes the last 2 years of high school and then attended a 4 year program at Memphis College of Art in Memphis, TN. I graduated there in 1995 with a degree in Design Arts.

Q - At what age did you feel the artist being born inside of you?
A - I have been drawing ever since I can remember. I have known since childhood that I would grow up to be an artist. Some of my earliest memories (I was around 3) include drawing a scuba diver, of course it looked like spaghetti slapped on paper, but it was a scuba diver all the same.

Q - How would you describe your daily routine?
A - After waking up sometime around noon I sign on and check my email and then organize my calendar for the day. Then, I contact potential clients or models via email. After that, I usually run some errands, and work on new concepts. Typically I spend the evenings with friends, or fine-tuning my art work.

Q - It's known that artists are rather sentimental people. When is it exactly that you feel that you perform best? Under which mood have you created your best designs?
A - I usually work best late at night or in the early AM. Most of my award-winning pieces seem to have been thought out or done at these hours. I can’t say I am in a certain mood when I am working on my art, but certain music puts me in a creative frame of mind.

Q - Have you ever been inspired by another artist's work? What inspires you the most?
A - Yes, all the time. When I go to the bookstore or surf online I get inspired by other artists. It inspires me when I see other great pieces of work and I often say to myself, “I wish I had done that” or seeing a piece of work that is awful I think, “Why didn’t they call me? I could have done a much better job for them!”

Q - What was your craziest experience ever?
A - I would have to say that the craziest experiences I have ever had regarding body painting would be a tough toss up between three experiences. You be the judge.

crazy experience 1 - Once I painted a dragon on a model in Nashville, TN and I had to paint her butt crack. When she bent over it seemed her anus was winking at me…bizarre but true.

crazy experience 2 - In Key West, I painted a lady at a concert and she pulled her top down to reveal she had a dildo positioned between her breasts… sad but true.

crazy experience 3 - Back in Nashville, my business partner and I were doing a test shoot with a model and we asked her what the wildest thing was that she had ever done. She replied that one time her friend killed himself by gunshot wound and that she cleaned off his brains from his credit card and went and spent his money. Needless to say the test shoot was a wee bit awkward after that...scary but true.

Q - What are your rates like?
A - My rates vary depending on the project. I will always give a fair quote before starting a project. I am no pirate so I am sure you will get a good deal from me. Arrgggg!!

Q - Favorite quote?
A - “In order to be the best, you must lose your mind (taken from the movie Ski School).” Basically it is saying, loosen up, don’t be so serious. Have fun in all that you do.

Q - What's one question we should have asked you but didn't?
A - How can people get a hold of you? If you would like to view my body painting gallery, learn more about me, pose for a body painting piece, or hire me for a project then contact me through my website www.pashur.com or email me at pashurcreative@aol.com.