A man of many faces, artist
James Kuhn creates some of the most incredible and bizarre masks ever seen. The eccentric face painter calls his creations “self-portraits” because he uses his own face as the canvas for his artwork.
The 46-year old artist is halfway through his project to create a design for his face every day for a year, which he began in March after he was snowed in by 12 inches of snow and had to miss work.
James got the inspiration from photo exhibitions of a picture a day. His 365 creations range from cartoon characters and animals to his favorite foods.
Corn on the cob.
Kuhn uses real popcorn to add more realism to his popcorn box creation.
The Picasso of face painting has plastered his mug with a menagerie of images including Tweety Bird, King Kong, movie monster Hannibal Lector, zebras, and leopards.
But perhaps most striking are those of food — transforming his face into a giant box of pop corn, a cheeseburger, pineapple, frozen TV dinner, shish-kebabs, and even a cornucopia.
Dracula mask showing two screaming faces joined together.
“I saw other 365’s but they are self-indulgent or just plain silly.” said James. “I wanted to take it to a higher level.”
“Face painting is the most exciting thing that has happened to me in a long while!”
Based out of Three Oaks, Michigan, US, James takes his inspiration from anything, including children’s games, and loves to paint on everything, including flesh.
Kuhn does his own take on Mickey Mouse but on the theme of oranges.
Mr Pineapple Head. Kuhn even adds a real pineapple to the top.
“I really have become totally obsessed with face painting and I think about what I can do next all the time.” James says on his blog.
The artist says the worst part is painting the inside of his nostrils, as he ends up spitting them for hours.
He says he’s been an artist all his life, and even drew pictures in his oatmeal as a child.
The ancient city of Hierapolis was built on top of the white "castle" which is in total about 2700 meters long and 160m high. It can be seen from a great distance, eg. when driving down the hills on the opposite side of the valley to the town of Denizli, which is 20 km away. Pamukkale is located in Turkey's Inner Aegean region, in the River Menderes valley, which enjoys a temperate climate over the greater part of the year.
The tectonic movements that took place in the fault depression of the Menderes river basin did not only cause frequent earthquakes, but also gave rise to the emergence of a number of very hot springs, and it is the water from one of these springs, with its large mineral content — chalk in particular — that created Pamukkale. Apart from some radioactive material, the water contains large amounts of hydrogen carbonate and calcium, which leads to the precipitation of calcium carbonate. The effect of this natural phenomenon leaves thick white layers of limestone and travertine cascading down the mountain slope, making the area look like a fortress of cotton or a frozen waterfall.
The mineral-rich waters rise from the ground at a temperature of 35°C and tumble down the mountain from a height of 100 metres, forming a myriad of pools. Cream colored stalactites are formed as the water overflows the pools, creating a breathtaking sight unequalled in the world. Water is the sole instrument in the creation of this gleaming fairy castle that resembles cotton (hence the name "Cotton Castle"). There are an abundance of hot springs in this wonderland which are recommended for the treatment of heart disease, circulatory problems, high blood pressure, nervous disorders, rheumatism, eye and skin diseases, nervous and physical exhaustion, and digestive maladies.
Pamukkale Photos from Flickr
