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Paintings That Live and Breathe

Washington, D.C. based artist Alexa Meade completely redefines traditional body painting. She paints with acrylic paint directly on human flesh and clothing, making her subjects appear as if they were part of a painting (or a living painting immersed in everyday life).

Meade's statement:

"The reverse trompe l'oeil series is Alexa Meade's spin on reality. Alexa has invented a painting technique that makes 3 dimensional space look flat, blurring the lines between illusion and reality.

Typically a painting is an artist's interpretation of the subject painted onto another surface. In Alexa's paintings, she creates her artistic interpretation of the subject directly on top of the subject itself. Essentially, her art imitates life - on top of life.

By wrapping her subject in a mask of paint, she skews the way that the core of the subject is perceived."

Portrait of a woman in profile against a red background, wearing a blue top and headband.

Portrait of a woman with short hair against a red background.

Woman in a yellow hooded jacket against a blue background.

A person wearing a yellow hoodie against a blue background.

Previously, Remarkable Trompe-l'œil Turns Artist into Enemy of State.

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