Caulfield artist turns judges' heads

AN affinity with Aztec culture helped Carolina Ayala win over judges in the Melbourne Body Art Competition.

The Caulfield resident, 39, won the face painting category of the competition, held at the Carlton Brewery, Abbotsford, on August 20.

“I was astounded,” Ms Ayala said.

“It was my first competition.

“I’ve been painting for a long time, but I’m not really a competitive type.

“I had lots of encouragement and support, and thought, ‘I’m going to do it this year’.”

Face and body artists from around Australia battled it out in four categories, including extreme hair and body painting, in addition to face painting.

Ms Ayala had one hour to transform model Gabriela Pivet-Ayala into a Mayan goddess.

“The theme was time travel ... and I’ve always had an appeal for indigenous Aztec culture,” Ms Ayala said.

“I had an amazing model of Chilean descent, so, it was a natural connection.”

Ms Ayala’s runs her own business that does face painting for kids’ and adults’ parties.

She also regularly paints at local markets, including Moorabbin’s Bumble Bee market.