Model: Jessica Mellow
Artist: Margie Nugent
Photographer: Will Cook
With National Eating Disorder Awareness Week in our midst (February 24th – March 3rd, 2013), many campaigns and projects are being launched, one of which is particularly captivating in all of its unique splendor. New Yorkers, being such one of kind individuals with dreams and determinations bigger than the city that holds them, have a special eye to appreciate projects with the same qualifications, which leads us to one in particular New Yorker – Jessica Mellow: 27 years old, face, body and special effects makeup artist. After struggling with her own eating disorder for years, she is now launching a brilliant campaign to open the world’s eyes to the truth of eating disorders and help those that are struggling. After years in treatment, Jessica moved to New York where she discovered herself, happiness of life outside of her eating disorder, and the thrill of a new city and a new career. She says moving to New York and becoming an artist has saved her life. Her struggles have made her realize that life is meant to be enjoyed, experienced, and lived. Life is beautiful, unique and thrilling – just like a priceless work of art.
The Paint’ED campaign is striving to spread internationally, attaining various participants from diverse backgrounds, cultures, eating disorder diagnosis and stages in recovery to be body art models and be Paint’ED. The participants will be quite literally making art come to life as Jessica paints them with colors and symbols of meaning to them and their stories. Jessica says that body painting has brought so much healing to her life that she never feels more confident or comfortable in her own skin then when she is painted. The paint shapes to fit the individual; there is no “right” or “wrong” shape, as the paint fits you perfectly. The artist also says, “It’s about the transformation and magic that can come out of a brush and some paint. Glitter never hurts either.” Upon the completion of the participants being painted, their pictures will be taken; next to their pictures will be their written stories of their struggle with an eating disorder. All of the individual stories and pictures will then be complied into a book. Jessica believes everything happens for a reason – that life is truly wonderful, and that art can be so healing. Through this project, Jessica longs to show others just how healing art can be and wants to exhibit how they can experience it for themselves. A life of healing, full and vibrant color is within reach, and one brush stroke at a time, she will help people in their journey to get there.
For more information, or to learn how to get involved contact Jessica Mellow at: [email protected]
