STUNNING EYE MAKEUP OR IS IT ART?

Anti-bullying. Words can be dangerous, use them wisely.
All photos in this post is courtesy of  Tal Peleg

She tells stories — about depression, dementia, bullying...and sometimes even classic tales like Snow White or the Little Red Riding Hood — using a bit of eye shadow, eyeliner and false eyelashes even.

Tal Peleg, a in-her-twenties make-up artist and graphic designer from Israel, uses eye-art (artistic makeup and illustrations on the eye) to give voice to issues that she cares about; and which capture her imagination.

Fruity eye

Tal, who has been painting from the time she could hold a brush, grew up a typical teenager loving make-up. She enrolled in a make-up school. But, she also loved art. So, after make-up school, she studied four "hard and demanding" years of visual communication. Then, the conundrum: "Should I become a full-time make-up artist or a graphic designer? I was confused," says Tal. In the end, she combined her passion for art and make-up — she became an eye-artist.

On Tal's deep-set sea-blue eyes, make-up — the capote of vanity — morphs into a medium for powerful narration. "I use make-up to express feelings," she says. Tal's canvas is small, delicate and difficult, but tells influential stories.

The moon is a friend for the lonesome to talk to

A young girl touched by Tal's eye-art — the one inspired by her grandma's illness — writes her a long email. "Her grandmother too was suffering from dementia," remembers Tal. "It is a good feeling. To know that make-up can influence people and touch them at a deep emotional level."

Tal at work

Eye art is difficult. Patience of saintly proportions is a pre-requisite. It takes Tal one to three hours and more to complete an image, depending on the complexity of a design. And she doesn't rest till the work is complete. "It is challenging sometimes to stay put in one place for hours and paint," says Tal.

She believes that "inspiration is everywhere — from fairytales to books, pretty flowers and favourite food." Or even things that she finds interesting and challenging. Like the story of Anne Frank or anti-bullying or manic depression.

She paints at least one image a week; photographs it and posts it on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (where she has thousands of followers) before washing it away. Her art is transient, but it initiates crucial discourse and remains in the realm of social consciousness long after the make-up flows down the drain. "This is my art," affirms Tal. However fleeting it might be. Her art tells universal stories.

Hope for a better future. Art created for cancer awareness campaign

The hills are alive with the Sound of Music

See Tal Peleg's work on Facebook.com/talpelegmakeup

Instagram.com/talpeleg

Twitter.com/talpeleg