Recently she contributed henna painting at an ovarian cancer benefit held at the East Hampton home of Liz Tilberis, editor of Bazaar magazine.

There's nothing at all wrong with dune bashing, camel riding, henna painting, belly dancing, and drinking beer - it's just that my personal taste runs more along the lines of a naturalist's guide in the desert.

Both painters will be demonstrating the ancient art of henna painting on anyone who willingly drops into the gallery and presents, say, palms, feet or belly button.

The demonstration supplements the gallery's current exhibition, "The Mehndi Project," which depicts contemporary henna painting through 40 photographs.

Also, an important form of art in Somaliland is henna painting (mehndi, Somali: Xenna).

The henna plant is widely grown across the region and it was Arab merchants and settlers that first brought the art of henna painting to early Somaliland.

Other fun includes live music, food, face painting, henna painting, tarot readings and of course art making.

Piercings, tattoos, henna painting: it all seems calculated, coming from without rather than within.

She transformed the intricate curlicues of Indian and Moroccan henna painting and hand-blocking into a la mode second-skin sweaters and capris.

There's nothing new about the ancient art of henna painting, in which designs are painted on the body, except that it's being done where you would least expect to see it.