By Libby Hopkins
“I came to Panama City when I was 18 for spring break and I loved it so much that I decided to stay,” Hays said.
While living in Panama City, she answered and ad on Craig’s List for a body paint model for a local nightclub. She went to the club and fell in love with body painting.
“I had always been a visual artist and body painting seemed to be something I really liked,” Hays said.
She started moving around Florida and along the way she earned a degree in theatre performance from the University of South Florida. She also took painting classes to improve her painting skills as a body artist.
Her body art mainly focuses on whimsical, fantasy and steampunk-inspired pieces.
“I love everything whimsical and fantasy, but steampunk is something that intrigues me because it’s a little darker than what I normally paint,” Hays said.
In addition to body painting, Hays also does roller derby and aerial circus performances. All of her talents landed her an audition and a spot on the new reality television show on the Game Show Network (GSN) called Skin Wars. The show will debut on the network on Wednesday, August 6 at 9 p.m. Rebecca Romijn hosts the show where body-painting artists compete against each other to win $100,000.
“I auditioned with 20 other artist and I was super confident at the audition,” Hays said. “I did a Marie Antoinette themed piece with lots of pastels. I was very proud of the piece and I had a good feeling about it too.”
Hays has been doing a lot of traveling since getting on Skin Wars, but she will be back in Tampa to host a watch party on Wednesday, August 6 at Mulligan’s Irish Pub located at 10550 Regents Park Dr. in Tampa.
To learn more about Hays and see some of her artwork, visit www.nicolehays.com.
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