In case you didn’t know, I’ve created my own art brand “BodyByJade”, and it’s just the beginning. Over the past year, I have taken the time to create a shop, develop an art style, and create figurative paintings of women.
How it Started
I started getting into figurative art during my junior year of high school. In my free time, I would teach myself how to sketch female figures based on plus-size and mid-size models that I followed on Instagram. Models such as Diana Veras, Barbie Ferreira, and Paloma Elsesser among many more filled my pages.
While taking a studio course during the Fall semester of junior year, I was assigned to create an etching piece on glass. We were responsible for carving into glass with the use of lines. Immediately I thought about the use of curves, which led me to the idea of a figure of a woman. Inspired by the piece “The Birth of Venus” by Sandro Botticelli, I created an etching of the female body with ocean influences around it.
Before BodyByJade there was Sabor A Mi
When lockdown happened during my Spring semester, I decided to take my idea and act on it. Observing how my favorite artists operated and coming across Etsy, I created my art page. Although I didn’t have any idea of what I would sell, I wanted to start somewhere. The starting name was called “Sabor A Mi” which was inspired by my favorite song, “Sabor A Mi” by Eydie Gorme and Los Panchos. I came across a showgirl account on Instagram called “Ficheraz” that focused on preserving the legacies of vintage showgirls from all around the world. After discovering this page I started to develop an interest in showgirls and the garments that they wore.
BodyByJade
I finally created my first body painting during the winter of 2021. I wanted to use a body type that was not typically seen in past showgirls. Often showgirls had a slim-curvy body type. However, I wanted to use a more realistic body type that can be more relatable to someone. To see yourself as luxurious as a diamond garment on a model or showgirl is the ultimate goal for my paintings. There’s not just one body type that should be seen as luxurious. We are all lavish in our own beautiful selves.
Using Lessance Sidora as my model reference, I created my first piece, “Royal Rhinestone”. The silver rhinestones are portrayed as a rhinestone bikini, which is similar to the garments from past showgirls. After that piece, I continued to make more paintings in colors such as blue, green, red, and grey. Adding petal bikinis to the collection, I continue to look for ways to bring in the best garments in my paintings. Using inspiration from Savage X Fenty, Lace By Tanya and many more lingerie brands, I hope to create art that any woman can see themselves in.