Prepping For the Canary Calender

Recently I volunteered to be part of a calender that raises awareness about people suffering from Multiple Chemical Sensitivities - a disabling illness that makes functioning in our modern world darn near impossible due to the fact that these people have been chemically injured and their body will no longer tolerate even slight contact with chems. People get chem injuries from all sorts of places like working in labs, working in factories, being the front line in wars and 9/11 rescue, being exposed to toxic renovations, or other issues of acute pollution. People who end up with MCS are often refered to as the canaries in our 'coal mine' environment, because they are the first to get sick from the unregulated over exposure we now deal with as a society, on a daily basis. Even if you don't live downstream from a power plant dumping junk into your drinking water and don't work in a science lab using aldehydes, you are still being exposed to chemicals through common household and care products like bleach, lipstick, detergents, harsh soaps, perfumes - plus paints, carpeting, varnish and other indoor air quality issues. If going green is not your shtick cause you don't care about the health of the earth, then it should at least be essential to even the most selfish human for your own personal health. The beauty in it is, when we are in balance, things fall into balance behind us.
Now for the calender... The Canary Report is putting together a wildy fun video calender called "The Naked Truth". It's a slightly nude, alluring video of real women of every shape, size and background living with MCS... these pics below are the 'making of' for my submission - *of course I can't show you the final product until it's either published or rejected.* :)I had the idea to write some of my feelings on the subject out in yellow maple leaves, I tore up each leaf into smaller pieces and placed them carefully on a large flat-ish rock. I have been making nature related art like this for years (Andy Goldsworthy does a good job of making beautiful art with leaves too!) I always got flack in art school for using "words" with my images, it left many artists uneasy- but i love the use of powerful words along with powerful images to say exactly what I want. Having the picture being completely in nature was essential to me, because at the core of the issue is that we depend on nature being healthy for our survival- without clean water, soil and air, we are basically screwed.So, maybe this should be the easy part next... getting undressed... but no way! You wanna lay naked on a freezing cold rock in the shade of the evening?!!?? I suppose I did.
I submitted my pictures to the Canary Report for review... I can't publish any of the final shots here yet, but this is just your sneak peak of the fun! Ya likie?
XoXo

Thanks for reading & sharing maisonduperle