Lapis Lizard - How it all started
People often ask "How did you come to do face-painting and body-art?" says Gita, who is the founder of Oxford's premier face-painting firm, Lapis Lizard. "Well, I originally volunteered to face-paint at a community event, our church fete. I discovered this was something I was very good at and really enjoyed, so gradually I did more and more voluntary face-painting over many years before taking some intensive training courses with renowned face and body painters before turning professional."
"I also have an art and design background, having been trained and worked as a designer/maker of fine furniture. You might not think that face-painting and furniture design have much in common, but actually they have. The attention to detail, the sense of what is an effective, aesthetically pleasing design, the need to communicate with the customer and understand what they really want, and the awareness of how my design will fit into the wider context. As a face and body artist it is as important to create a design that suits the person's features and complements their outfit - as it is for a furniture designer to create a piece of furniture that sits well in the chosen setting. Design principles apply across the board."
Gita is originally from Germany, but has lived in England for over 20 years, much of it in Oxford.
Gita has been working in a variety of media and experimenting with colour from when she was a young teenager. Although face-painting and body art are how she earns her living, she continues to practice a variety of other design related skills in her spare time. To see examples of art and design projects Gita has created, have a look at the Other Work page.
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