Dream 5

first part: I was getting to know someone. There was a natural setting, I remember hayfield, steps, small old wooden building. We walked down the stairs into the second half of the dream, where he 'turned into' my ex, who was a relatively well known artist. He was hanging out with a couple other local young artists and I in his home, when he said they needed some nude models "to paint on". They had been all ready to do this project. He asked everyone in the room but me, and I felt surprised and annoyed that he didn't ask me. To add to the injury, outside there appeared all manner of washed up/aspiring theater folks, all the men dressed in canvas pants and with a little neck scarf, all the women similarly as well. They were flocking to audition to be nude models. I asked "why the hell are they all dressed the same?" Apparently there was a Grease audition earlier that day, and everyone had just come over from that. I rolled my eyes and said that *I* could do it, and my ex kind of looked at me uncomfortably and was like "uh, ok." I knew he hadn't asked because he thought it would be weird, I just had felt even more conspicuous b/c he hadn't.
He was writing up instructions/assignments for the artists. On the side of the book, on the pages (un-spine part) was a picture of my mother looking 'angry' and some text related to this (he didn't care for my mother, haha), I remembered right when I woke up but I've forgotten. In the book was text he'd sticky-noted on about the artists''assignment' something about earthiness, which i first took to mean mother earth but then realized he was saying 'it should be earthy' (since I am often described as being and liking earthy things).
Everyone was going to get undressed. As I walked back, I wondered if I was doing it to prove something to him or to myself about still being able to attract him, but then I realized I was just doing it to have an excuse to be naked in front of everyone.
I began to take off my clothes, and the thought that I was mother earth's personification in our little charade was quite pleasing to me. The last image in my dream is of me in front of the mirror, looking at my skin. On it were veins and arteries, visible from underneath my skin. They were radiating out from my chest, blue and red, out from my heart-area. It was incredibly striking. I believe my thought was something like, 'well this is what mother earth looks like.'

Now, a good bit of this probably has to do with me coming back from college and seeing my ex (from a good while back) a couple of times, and wondering what all is going on with that awkwardness (him saying we're different people, me wondering if that's true, beginning to think so [getting to know part]). Also wanting to hang out with him a little/be friends, wondering if he's going to interpret that or if he wants it, wondering if I have ulterior motives but not coming up with any (I think the dream answers that, phew)
As for the 'bare exposure', I would kindof automatically interpret that as a desire for intimacy. Key absolving point here being that I wanted to be close not just to him but to everyone there, ie "an excuse to be naked in front of everyone" bit. And painting the body, I would automatically interpret via "skin" and it being the boundary between inner & outer worlds, painting it could be a mask, but could also be said to reveal what is inside (! this makes the veins seem more interesting... instead of someone else painting on like what was going to happen, what was inside was actually revealed). Now, I have pale skin and visible veins around my eyes and on my forearms, so this would be a natural fit.
I get lost as to the significance of all this ending though-- so I don't need help being transparent? It seemed like a more spiritual experience.
Any ideas?