Artist Statement (edited again)

Hold Still, self-portrait, conte on paper, 24"x18" 2010

Most people will sit through an entire film completely unconscious of the fact that all the wounds, mutations, aliens, and creatures they just witnessed were all fabricated. They suspend their disbelief while watching, and they leave the theater knowing that Jared Leto didn't actually have to walk around with his face smashed in after filming Fight Club and that Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort) actually has a nose. What people frequently forget is that behind every swollen black eye, severed limb, and oozing wound is an artist creating that illusion, and each effect is their masterpiece.
For me, the greatest inspiration behind makeup art is the human body as a canvas. To recreate the human body in paint on a canvas is one thing, but to create a work directly on the varied surface of skin is a whole new dimension. You can build upon the human form, using the skin as a foundation.     However, my favorite aspect of makeup art, and my focus in the area, is bringing the inside to the outside. More specifically, the representation of internal structure externally. What it comes down to is my deep fascination with the structure of the human body. In all of nature, to me the human body is the most beautiful and complex structure on the planet. We are such intricately designed creatures that every inch of our structure, down to every cell, is a miracle, regardless of whether you believe in intelligent design or not. Too often is our amazing composition taken for granted. 
     My work is not symbolic. I strive to make it representative because it is a devotion. It is a tribute to the human form. When you are creating a work on a person, there is a connection both to the art and to the model. They are in your hands, and whether they are calm or nervous all you can tell them is "hold still."