The Artist in You
The painting above is the cover shot of Artkrush’s Issue 29. The artist is Beatriz Mailhaze and you can read the full write-up of her bio at London’s Tate Museum site.
Meanwhile, read the biographical introduction below and let it inspire you and your mate to do an exercise in being each other’s publicist. Take 15 minutes to interview your partner about his/her "art" — Ask your partner these questions: What are your special talents in life, in our partnership? Where do you suppose this talent comes from? How did you get to be good at it? What inspires you? Then take 15-30 minutes, to write your partner’s bio. Use lots of adjectives. Ask a writer friend or hire writer to polish it up for you if writing isn’t your strong suit.
When you’re done, you’ll have learned something new about your partner and even more to love about him or her. The act of speaking about your special talents will shore them up as you step into your marriage. Having your partner be your witness and biographer cultivates in him or her a good listener who can reflect back to you the best of what you have to offer. Finally, you’ll also have great material to share with your officiant so she can get to know you.
For your ceremony, you can have your officiant or friends in your wedding party read these bios or "introductions" you’ve written as a way of opening your ceremony. Example: "In the eyes of the groom, here’s an introduction to his beautiful bride…" "In her own words, the bride has chosen to marry this groom who…"
To get started on this exercise, pretend you are writing your partner’s bio for presentation in an art gallery, like Beatriz’ below…
Beatriz Milhazes’s paintings are seductive. They are like a rare Amazonian plant – at once both ravishing and deceptive, full of layers, unexpected tricks and treats. Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1961, Milhazes has over the past two decades built up a rich and complex repertoire of images, forms and colours in her work. While she shows an adventurous fusion of influences, her canvases have an undeniably Brazilian flavour – filled with brightly coloured elements relating to a string of popular Brazilian motifs, from carnival-inspired imagery to tropical flora and fauna…
