Check Out Nelly Recchia’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nelly Recchia.

Hi Nelly, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in France, in a small town named Clermont Ferrand in the center of the country. It is  known in part for its volcanoes mountains and its gorgeous Black Cathedral, it is black because it is made of volcanic rocks.

I have never said as a child “when I ‘ll grow up I will be a body painter”. I was more likely to become a ballerina but I would have had to live the family’s nest at a very young age to enter a professional ballet school and I did not want to. I was lucky to have my parents to nurture my early tastes and genuine interest for Arts. I don’t remember this myself but my mother also mentioned I used to do strange makeup on my dolls so maybe there was already something there! Years after studying languages and philosophy, I finally decided to pursue a career which would encompass various forms of art theater, music, photography, etc…and I concluded being a makeup artist would just do that. So I studied Makeup Artistry for a short-year program in France. For our final, we had to present a body painting based on a given theme. That day I had a strong and positive reaction from the jury and the audience toward my work. I realized then the magic of paint on the human body and wanted to experience and share these emotions again and again.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
If we are talking about technical challenges regarding painted-on bodies, there are a few. One of them is the fact that no matter how still a model is, the simple act of breathing with a motif needs to be painted on the belly is pretty challenging. Also the fast that, unlike a traditional canvas, once you have started painting on a human canvas, you cannot leave it unfinished with the intention to complete it another day, it must be done, then more time is necessary to capture the end result, this requires patience both from the model and the body painter.

I do not know how to word it properly but I find it a bit sad that nowadays Body Art and Makeup Artistry in general has turned into a bit of a lucrative circus with much drama on social media between “influencers” ( I am not a fan of this word haha! ) the influence mostly being about pushing trends and consumerism of any kind, about quantity not quality.

I often wonder what am I doing in all of this…and the only answer I can think about is Beauty…creating Beauty in the noble sense of the term, Beauty that transcends, connects, heals. And at this stage of my life, transmission is important. I have been teaching in an Internationally renowned Makeup School here in Los Angeles with students coming from all around the world. It is culturally enriching and should keep each one of us humble knowing there is always room for learning something new and improve.

Also I am still working on creating and gathering a good amount of images so one day I can finally have my book. I would like to be self published so it is taking time to find the right way to go about it, but I know it will be made, a book full of passion for Art and Beauty it may cause Stendhal syndrome for the viewers, the way I have experienced it when I first saw an image in a book about the breathtaking work Italian sculptor Lorenzo Bernini.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Painting on their bodies in one of the first things humans used to do either for spiritual reasons or survival ones such as camouflage from danger. Nowadays, Body Painting is still to a large audience synonymous with a little bit of paint on naked girls to satisfy libidinous eyes. I humbly try to push Body Art to a much more sophisticated level. Technically speaking I am using brushes or an airbrush depending on what I want to achieve. All is painted on my models is really painted on their skin, it is not done digitally.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
I do not have one particular memory, I was fortunate to be raised in a family nurturing creativity and allowing me at a very early age to attend ballet classes and diverse art performances. It was also nice to have the family’s junkyard as a very unique playground!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.nellyrecchia.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nellyrecchia/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nelly.recchia/

Image Credits
Nelly Recchia and Trevor Toma