- Hello, everybody.

I'm Satori Shakoor.

Welcome to "Detroit Performs: Live from Marygrove", where Detroit's talented artists take the stage and share insights into their creations.

Today's episode features three powerful women sharing the art of beautifying the human body.

We begin with artist Sandra Epps.

- [Sandra] I want women to celebrate who they are and how far they've come.

- [Satori] Followed by tattoo artist, Lorri Thomas.

- [Lorri] Yeah, I feel like this is the purpose.

This is my purpose to help people.

- [Satori] And rounded out by my makeup artist, Tre Marcel.

- [Tre] You know, we talk about the value of looking better.

With makeup, it's so much more.

Makeup is transformational.

- Let's check out their stunning work.

Get ready for "Detroit Performs: Live from Marygrove".

- [Narrator] Funding for Detroit Performs is provided by the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, the A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Foundation, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts, the DeRoy Testamentary Foundation, and by contributions to your PBS Station from viewers like you.

Thank you.

(groovy music) - Welcome everybody.

I am thrilled to be sitting here with Sandra Epps of Sandyland, and you're an artist.

- Yes, I am a artist.

I do body art and I do fine art.

The butterfly means so much to me.

I am a lupus survivor.

It attacked my central nervous system, my kidney and my heart.

I was confined to a wheelchair.

This happened at the age of 14.

And when that happened, my self esteem was affected by having this illness as a child and the rash that appears on a lupus patient's face.

It's in the shape of a butterfly.

And that's where I gained my respect and love for the butterfly, because it also represents prosperity.

Of course, transformation, peace, and rebirth.

So much of my art has butterflies in it.

And that's where it comes from.

- And how did your journey and experience with having lupus, how does that translate into your art for others?

- It's all about survival and celebrating.

I want women to celebrate who they are and how far they've come.

And that's what the journey is all about.

That's what creating the art on women, especially I've painted women who have lupus.

I painted women who are cancer survivors.

I've painted women who have lost all their hair from alopecia, but it's all about celebration and loving themselves because of how far they come and just being beautiful, unique individuals, as we all are big, beautiful, unique individuals.

- And so what have been the experiences of the women that you've transformed?

- Oh, that's the thing.

Transform and to just go from having nothing on them at all and putting the butterfly on them and adding the bling and wings and costumes, they are happy.

They're happy and they're feeling good about themselves and that's what it's all about.

And it's just that form of celebrating them at that time and going on and feel good for the rest of the day.

And just as we painted Joy today, she's getting ready to go out and go to the bank and go places.

(Satori laughs) And then people will say, "Oh, you look nice."

And so that makes you feel good.

I have done work with women who have had reconstructive surgery on their breasts and some who just didn't feel beautiful, you know, after that happened.

But after being painted, they feel good.

They're smiling.

The smile is big and that's what it's about.

Celebrating them where they are.

You can also always look back at the pictures too, and just, you know, it's another reminder of your road of surviving or growing through the process that you've experienced.

And so as a reminder that they are growing forward and doing some wonderful things as they look back on that experience that they had with me and just feeling happy and joyful moving forward.

- So it took you two hours, but you talked about, sometimes it takes six.

But the detail, can you just convey to the audience your experience in painting?

- It's one of those things I listen to the spirit.

You know what I'm saying?

Because I had sketched some things out, had all these designs in mind and I actually left the paper.

But as soon as I got here, it's just something that happened, you know?

And I worked from spirit.

The longer I actually paint a person, the better it looks to me.

And I think I get a bit in a trance.

And not only that too, going back to the model.

Not only do they look good, but it's the gentle touch.

It's the touch that makes a difference.

To touch, you know, helps to lower your blood pressure and slow down, you know, helps with your cardiovascular.

You know, it's good for you, that touch.

I love doing details 'cause that's what make it pop.

It's the little white dots.

It's the glitter, it's the glitter lips.

You know, it's those details to me and putting on the wings, adding those extra things, just make it a piece of art.

I make sure it's just all about them.

The focus is just on them, making them feel good, and the experience is good.

When I get relaxed and I get into it, I just totally focus on what I'm doing.

And you can even see the models or the person I'm painting, their breath just slows down because their eyes are closed and they become really relaxed.

And I have people who say it feels good, getting painted as well, it's relaxing.

- You're painting on bodies, but obviously, that translates to any surface, right?

Any kind of surface?

- Yeah.

- So do you do other forms of art?

- Yes, I do.

I originally had my BFA in Fiber Arts from Wayne State University.

So I love painting on silk.

That's actually my joy, I really love doing that.

And so as my business, in my business Sandysland, I host pillow paint parties, art parties.

So I create all the designs.

And then I, you know, host parties where people, I teach them how to paint, but I create all the arts.

That and painting on wood, I make boxes.

I do other things, fine arts things, you know, for projects that I create for my events that I host, 'cause I host events as well.

- Is there anything else that you'd like to say?

- Staying conscious of being positive.

We want people to just, you know, continue during this season as a tough season that we're in, but to always show love and respect.

Yes, for one another.

That matters, yes.

- Thank you for that.

And you have a website?

- My website is www.sandyslandllc.com.

That's S, A, N, D, Y, S, L, A, N, D, L, L, C.com.

- Thank you so much, Sandra Epps.

Thank you for talking with us and for giving us all the gifts that you give us.

And next we're gonna talk to Lorri Thomas.

(upbeat music) Welcome everybody.

I'm sitting here with Lorri Thomas, who is a professional tattoo artist amongst other things.

What else is it that you do?

- I am a visual artist.

I've been practicing fine arts majority of my life.

And I also am the CEO and founder of the Ladies of Ink Tour.

- Where did your passion for being a tattoo artist come from?

- I actually got into it because I attended a tattoo party in Detroit and the tattoo artist there, he wasn't really too much of a great artist, but he actually knew how to follow lines when it came to tattooing.

So I started drawing the tattoo I was gonna get and tattoos for a friend of mine and more people saw what I was drawing and they wanted me to draw their tattoos.

And that's how I originally started, you know, wanting to was to take care of myself.

And I had a daughter at the time.

She was only one.

So I just really needed to provide.

And I felt like using my natural talent that God gave me is drawing and turn it to a different medium was the way.

But now I do it because I'm helping people.

- So Tara came to you as a client and she told you her story.

- Yes.

- And out of her story, what did you create?

- Tara started off as a client of mine and we have bonded since then and now like, she's almost like family.

So when she told me she wanted a transformation piece, she wanted a piece that represented, you know, healing and transformation.

She did not know exactly what she wanted yet.

And we literally, I literally was thinking, thinking, thinking, and I came up with this design.

She did not know what she was getting until today.

And because of our conversations prior to, like I said, I've connected with her and I kinda knew, you know, her story.

So I wanted to just show a connection between the heart and the mind and the growth.

So I included her birth flower and it's like, the leaves and lines are like wrapping around the hearts and leading up to the, you know, it's coming out the brain, it's growing out the brain.

So that's just how I felt, you know, that it would be a great way to show the transformation.

- What did she think of it?

- She loved it.

And I was nervous because this is the first time that she has never seen like what she was getting before.

So I was like, please, like I prayed on it, meditated.

Like I hope this is what, you know, when she thinks of transformation, I hope this is something that she can look at and say, yeah, okay.

This is me.

- So Tara said that it wasn't painful to her.

It was therapy.

It was therapeutic for her.

- Yes.

- And why do you think people endure that pain and how is it that Tara found it therapeutic?

- Well, we call it ink therapy as well, because everybody's not just getting a tattoo just because it looks nice.

Some people, there's very deep meanings behind these tattoos.

Like I have tattooed people who have experienced home invasions and have wounds from that.

And I had to cover, you know, these wounds up so that they can have a better perspective.

So it kind of helps others, cancer, you know, patients.

I work with a lot of those people who've just been through death, grief.

You know, I actually do a lot of memorial tattoos and stuff.

So this kind of helps people with closure sometimes, it just helps people go, you know, kind of go through it and process things.

And so it's therapy for a lot of people.

It's almost a spiritual thing.

- And I also heard Tara say at one point that she trusted you.

- Yes.

- So how do you create that off the bat?

- I accept a classroom email.

They usually book a consultation and that's when we can meet and talk face to face.

And that's when they can tell me their story.

The reason behind the tattoo and like energy is everything.

And as long as you're willing to listen, people are going to trust you.

They've seen my work for the majority.

So they already know that I'm skillful and I'm capable of doing a great tattoo, but I just wanna kind of connect with them, so I'm not just putting anything on their body.

I'm actually truly giving them something that they are going to walk away with a loving and it's actually going to change their lives.

- So you do a custom design for each.

- Yes.

Sometimes people will have like reference pictures and stuff and I always tell them, like, I won't do another artist's work.

I can create something similar, but it's always good to have a idea of what they want.

- Is there anything else you wanna tell the audience, your website, how they get in contact with you?

- My west side is www.ladyltattoos.com.

I also have ladiesofink.com.

That's L, A, D, I, E, S, of Ink, I, N, K.com.

And we are a tour of all black women.

And we are from all around the United States and Canada.

When I first started the tour five years ago, it was just seven of us and we have grown to 27.

And I'm just excited because our industry is underrepresented when it comes to black women, when it comes to black artists period.

So I'm glad that I'm able to inspire others.

And I mean, inspire, I get emails from people from India, Africa, just because they see what we're doing and it's making them want to become a tattoo artist.

- I completely understand.

And maybe even get a tattoo now.

(giggles) What I would feel as your client feeling transformed, but what do you feel in your experience, giving them that gift?

- It just feels good to know that somebody trusts you that much 'cause it's deep.

You're literally living with this for the rest of your life.

And for somebody to say, I trust you with this.

And then to be so transparent to tell me their deepest stories and why they're getting it.

Like that's just everything.

So yeah, it makes me feel wonderful.

And that's exactly why I keep going.

And that's exactly why I feel like God keeps blessing me.

I feel like I'm really, this is the purpose.

It's my purpose to help people.

- Thank you so much Lorri for being here.

- Thank you.

- You touched my heart.

And next, we're gonna talk to the great Tre Marcel.

(upbeat music) I am sitting here now with Tracy Marcel Bozeman.

She is a makeup artist, but much, much, much more.

- Thank you, thank you.

I am Tre Marcel, that's what everyone knows me as and they know me as a makeup artist.

I'm actually a visual artist.

My background is a metalsmithing.

The reason why I ended up doing makeup professionally was because of my niece, who was four at the time.

Said, "TT I wanna become a ballerina."

And so ensuing in that over the years, my family has intrinsically been in dance and performing.

I was putting on makeup on my sister at the performance and I looked behind me and I had a line of 10 women asking me.

They didn't know what to do.

They were all in a panic.

And they were like, and I was thrown into it.

You know, we talk about the value of zhushing yourself up, you know, looking better and you know, and so that's where I was.

But makeup is so much more.

Makeup is transformational.

When times get hard, I have to have my structure.

And part of my structure, part of my upbringing was beautification on a Saturday morning.

Part of my getting along in life is having a pattern of getting up, putting on my makeup, dressing up and going towards the world.

I think with having the artistic background, I'm a blender and I really do love color.

I'm very highly encouraged bringing my artistic side more into my makeup then what I'm known for, which is the natural beauty enhancement, which I put in air quotes as natural, right?

I often am caught just staring at people.

And it's just the nature of being an artist in general.

And I personally am not trying to change your nose.

What I'm trying to do is the slight little bump that the camera's gonna catch, I'm trying to even that out.

In my own personal journey with how I apply makeup, I believe in the health of the skin first.

We are transitioning into tons and tons and tons of transformational makeup, which can be very intimidating.

It can be intimidating for a customer like yourself that says, "Hey, I am not looking for plastic surgery in a bottle, I'm looking to be zhushed."

(chuckles) I'm looking to be enhanced.

I want to look like myself, just an enhanced version.

So the techniques you use on stage, first off there's a new trend.

Eyebrows are everything, eyebrows are life.

So the first thing is basically putting down the eyebrow and then you're going to, as I say, I just sew.

I'm just sewing the eyelid.

So when you see that there's a whole white component or a lighter component, I'm bringing it all the way back in.

Okay, I'm applying that color so that you have depth.

So it's the same thing, artistically.

So when you're looking at the camera, I'm creating depth.

I'm trying to have a matte shadow on the top of your lid.

Okay?

Because personally, right here, if I put a silvery color, then the lights are gonna hit and you're gonna have nothing but gray.

So we try to create dimension, okay?

So I'm matting out the whole face.

I'm bringing back in cheekbones.

And then I come in with highlight.

- [Satori] What is your experience after you've finished making someone else up and they feel happy and you do too?

- Yes.

When she looks at herself and doesn't say anything.

It immediately starts putting on everything else.

(laughs) I know that I have did a job well done.

- [Satori] I'd like to know, are you going back to your metallurgy?

- So we're going to deal with a lot more jewelry and body adornment, and there's a lot more to come.

And I'm also a photographer.

So wrapping this all up into one, and I'm coming into the fuller picture.

- Thank you so much for being here.

- Thank you, thank you, Satori.

Thank you, Detroit Performs.

- A pleasure to talk to you again.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

Thank you for being with us on "Detroit Performs: Live from Marygrove".

I'd like to thank these three powerful women for sharing stories of how and why they became experts in their craft.

That's it for tonight's episode.

Make sure you come back and join us next time on "Detroit Performs: Live from Marygrove".

I can't wait to see you.

- [Narrator] Funding for Detroit Performs is provided by the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, the A Paul and Carol C. Schaap Foundation, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts, the DeRoy Testamentary Foundation, and by contributions to your PBS Station from viewers like you.

Thank you.

(groovy music)