An arresting body of work (+pics)

JOHN SELKIRK/Dominion Post

WORK IN PROGRESS: Body painter Joanne Gair with model Annelise Burton adorned in Gair's tie-dye creation.

JOHN SELKIRK/Dominion Post

WORK OF ART: Body painter Joanne Gair with model Annelise Burton adorned in Gair's tie-dye creation.

JOHN SELKIRK/Dominion Post

PAINTED UP: Model Annelise Burton shows off adorned in Joanne Gair's tie-dye creation.

JOHN SELKIRK/The Dominion Post

SKIN-TIGHT: Body painter Joanne Gair with model Annelise Burton adorned in Gair's tie-dye creation.

Relevant offers

Kiwi bodypainter Joanne Gair has extended her body of work during a visit home from the bustle of decorating some of the world's most beautiful bodies.

Best known for painting a range of Hollywood A-listers, including actress Demi Moore for a Vanity Fair magazine cover and supermodel Heidi Klum for Sports Illustrated,

Gair was back in New Zealand this week on holiday and showed off her skills for an Auckland audience.

Last night she created a flowing tie-dye shirt on model Annelise Burton before a group of makeup artists.

The piece took about 4½ hours to complete, with the base airbrushed before blending pigments and glitter.

Gair said she wanted the shirt to have "a bit of attitude" like Moore's famous bodypainted suit, so that it looked "lived-in and not static".

Gair, 50, who now lives in New York, is originally from Takapuna and is the daughter of former cabinet minister George Gair. She calls herself an "illusionist and image maker".

She left New Zealand when she was 21 and trained in makeup artistry in Sydney. Her original way of working with makeup on the body resulted in her being offered working papers within a week and a half of staying in the United Stateswhile en route to London.

The Vanity Fair cover earned her worldwide recognition when it hit newsstands in August 1992.

"I remember Demi saying, 'Jo, this is going to put you on the map.' I had no idea." Gair said.

She had worked extensively with Moore before the cover shoot and was recommended by celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz, who took the Vanity Fair photograph.

During a nine-year period, Moore and Gair completed five looks, including a Botticelli-angel-inspired one for which Moore posed while heavily pregnant.

"She stood for 8½ hours and two days later she gave birth."

On Sunday Gair, who also worked with singer-actress Madonna for 10 years, leaves for the United States to work on two new projects, which she cannot discuss. She counts herself lucky to have worked with celebrities.

"The reason why these women have made it at such a high level is because they are so professional.

"They are absolutely committed to their task to make sure their performance is perfect and only have people around them who work on the same level.

"It was a pleasure to be in that circle and to be allowed to be the best I could be."

- © Fairfax NZ News