In honour of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I thought it pertinent to share this beautiful behind the scenes look and feature from The Sunday Express last year, conceived by The Pink Ribbon Foundation UK, and sponsored by both Valspar Paint, and The Sunday Express, and photographed by the very talented Sam Pearce. Taking up the centre pages, this beautiful work created by a team of exceptionally talented individuals, empowered those suffering and surviving breast cancer with true creative aplomb. I was honoured to be a copainter once again with the superbly talented contemporary bodypainter, Filippo Ioco, creator of Ioco Benefits, that lends his bodypainting prowess to multiple charities in need of a creative boost.
Filippo created the gorgeous backdrop for this project, and especially for the occasion, Valspar paint created two brand new shades: Pink Ribbon Care, and Pink Ribbon Support. Each time you purchase one of these, you can make a contribution to Pink Ribbon, and help in the fight against breast cancer.
Due to Covid, shoots like this are currently not going ahead due to safety concerns, and rightly so, but that doesn’t mean we can’t share the joy of the work we’ve created on those who needed the boost the most; surviving breast cancer and going through that process, is one of the hardest things a human being can do in their lifetime, and I’m proud to have taken part in a moment to raise their spirits and demonstrate to them, that despite what they have gone through, they are still strong, powerful and beautiful.
Joining us too was the superbly talented pop artist, Richard Hoffman. His first time to bodypaint, copainting with Richard was an absolute pleasure. Do check out his work, and see the list of the other very talented artists who were part of this incredible team below:
The brave Gina who revealed her inspirational story for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Long may she continue defying her doctor’s diagnosis.
I co-painted Andrew alongside Richard Hoffman as a piece of post treatment pop-art. Contrary to what many people believe, men can actually get breast cancer, currently this statistic stands at 1 percent, but as so many men don’t check their chests, this number could be a sizeable misrepresentation of the true figure. So gentlemen, do make sure to check your chests for any unusual lumps and bumps.
I have so much admiration for Laura for doing this. Life is finite, and I’m glad she is able to embrace new and exciting things while she still can. No matter her diagnosis or curability, she has every right to feel beautiful and powerful.
This was an incredibly brave decision for Fran; doing something that Angelina Jolie did when she found out that she had the same gene responsible for breast cancer. I also created a bodypaint piece some time ago on the BRCA2 gene in The Guardian Science. You can take a look at the article and paints here, or wait for the upload to my site, coming this week for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Helen followed in the same footsteps as Angelina Jolie for peace of mind, and feels so much happier for doing so. Despite Kaz getting a double diagnosis, she is a force to be reckoned with. Check out her instagram here.
Rosemary is still carrying on making her amazing music despite Covid laced adversity.
The diversity of Vickie and Samantha’s stories show just how important it is to both keep being persistent if you think something is wrong, and to also choose the path that’s right for you in your treatment. “Flat is beautiful” is a very powerful statement in contemporary society where women seem to be constantly encouraged to go bigger. I applaud her for making the choice that was right for her.
Just a few of the beautiful memories from the day. Lifting people up and empowering them is one of the main reasons I paint. You can make any issue relevant, humane, and able to be talked about. If you’re worried about breast cancer, you can go to https://nbcf.org.au/about-breast-cancer/detection-and-awareness/how-to-check-for-breast-cancer-symptoms/ to look at signs, symptoms and how to check yourself for any changes that you may be worried about. And men, it affects 1 in 675 of you, so make sure to check yourselves too.
I can’t wait for the time when we can do shoots like these again.
