My Passion for Henna

I have been so excited about my travels and everything else that I have not even touched on my henna art. It’s the henna that pays the bills and allows me to travel more than any other art form I do. So I wanted to give honor to it now.
Henna is actually one of the oldest art forms on the planet and can be found on paintings in the Egyptian pyramids. It starts as a greenish paste that once applied to the skin turns to an earth red color, a perfectly painless temporary tattoo. It is believed that Egypt first brought henna to India where the art form is known as Mehendi. Traditionally Mehendi has been used ritually in birthing ceremonies and in wedding ceremonies to insure a lasting marriage. Often the name of the groom is written on the palm of the bride, very cleverly hidden, and the couple cannot mate until he finds it. Also it is said that the bride does not have to do any housework until the stain has completely faded, which can last for weeks. (I always imagined brides hiding in a closet to reapply the henna and put off the housework for a few more weeks.) I have found Indian people to be supportive of my work and often excited to see that their native art has traveled across the globe.
Ironically I was visiting New Orleans in 1997 when I first saw henna applied. A friend of mine had told me about it a few months earlier and instinctively I knew that it would become my passion. The artist doing it saw my enthusiasm and gave me a free tattoo. I bought my first henna kit from him and have been practicing it ever since.
The next year I moved to New Orleans hoping to make a living in Jackson Square doing henna. It was not that easy. Many old school portrait artists, mostly antiquated in their own right, were opposed and put up quite a battle to keep me out. Luckily I met another artist who was also starting to do hand painted temporary tattoos, in color. His name was Tanner and through our long term battle with the city’s artist licensing office and those reluctant Jackson Square artists, we won the battle and claimed the right to do body art in Jackson Square.
Since then I have traveled all over creating henna designs and making a living from it. It really is my favorite art to do and one that I know will be with me for the rest of my life. Many thanks to Egypt, India and to all of the other cultures that have been generous enough to share this gorgeous art form with us.