‘The sessions are often emotional’
Images: Gabi van den Broek and Kiki Reijners
Anne-Claire Fleer (30) is together with Rick (33) and mother of Amelie (almost 6 months). As a bodypaint artist she paints bodies.
“Conquering a man’s world with my briefcase in high heels: I could see it all when I started as an IT consultant. But after a year I ended up in a burnout – with eighty-hour work weeks I was outrunning myself. To find peace of mind I picked up an old hobby: drawing and painting.
body painting
I came into contact with body painting through a friend. She was a photographer, her sister was a nude model and we decided to join forces. That first time felt awkward – how do I paint a body? With a brush, my hands? – but a few hours later I was stunned. Abstract, colorful art on the skin, made up of different layers and therefore very dynamic. Shortly afterwards I painted a nude model at an event and shared my work on social media. Then the ball started rolling.
intense stories
Many women who sign up for a session have experienced something serious: breast cancer, eating disorders, abuse. They see their body as something weak and want to fall in love with it again. Or they have already gone through that process and want to celebrate. I also meet many mothers who have accepted their stretch marks or sagging breasts or who are proud that they have given birth to a child after several miscarriages.
“The sessions are often emotional, I’m happy to cry along”
Everyone looks with wonder at the colors and shapes on their skin. As a result, they let go of their insecurities – and the tears begin to flow. I’m happy to cry along, because many stories are gripping. For example, someone had been wearing a wig for twenty years, but no one knew that except her daughters. With me she was portrayed bald for the first time. That gave her so much confidence that she dared to tell her environment about her illness. Fantastic isn’t it?
Also read: ‘I tried to hide my belly after giving birth with loose-fitting shirts’ >
lasting memory
After painting I take pictures so that the experience becomes a lasting memory. I especially like the closeups – you can’t see where the body ends and the painting begins. When people compliment me on my ‘cool abstract art’, I say, ‘Look, it’s a body.’ Then the eyebrows shoot up. In the beginning, family and friends thought: why would you want to pay for blobs of paint on your body? But that turned into admiration when they saw the impact.
Amelie has yet to get her first crayons, but I can already envision her sixth birthday party: body painting with friends in a T-shirt. For fun, but also to teach her that her body is something positive. Because whatever you look like, you can be there.”
This portrait is in Kek Mama 04-2022.
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