Joanna Geeting: Make-up Artist

I recently created a painting for Joanna Geeting, a professional make-up artist. Check it out here. Joanna has done make-up for a number of independent films such as The Black Album ( a zombie movie with one of my favorite 90210 alums, Jeremy Jordan), Secrets of a Hollywood Nurse and The Bitterness, music videos and concerts for the bands Pic Vicious and The Deal, fashion shows for prominent Los Angeles designers, celebrity photo shoots at Smashbox Studios, and more. She was gracious enough to sit down and talk to me about her personal artwork and how she became the artist she is today. You can also see examples of her work throughout this post.

Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Joanna Geeting and I'm a professional make-up artist. I do make-up for the entertainment industry including film, television shows, music videos and runway shows. I do personal make-up too, for weddings and other special events, but my training, my interest and my experience are in entertainment.

How did you become a make-up artist? What sort of training have you done?

I started doing make-up in high school when I would put make-up on my friends before school dances. From there I sort of graduated to weddings and other special events and realized that this was what I wanted to do. I attended the Westmore Academy of Cosmetic Arts and studied all forms of make-up like special effects, beauty and avant garde. I've also worked at beauty retail shops - that experience has helped me learn more about colors, skin types and practice application techniques which have really helped with my career.

What artists inspire you?

Rick Baker, the famous special effects make-up artists, is one of the main reasons I got into make-up. The work that he does is immaculate. He is able to completely transform a person into a creature, a corpse or bring out their best features to make them angelic. He's done things with make-up that nobody had ever done before and very few people, if any, will be able to repeat. I hope to one day reach the levels of Rick Baker.

I also love Andy Warhol. I've found his work and his life so interesting. I like to think that I channel some of his artistic energy when I'm applying make-up.

What's your favorite type of make-up to do?

I enjoy special effects but my favorite type of make-up is beauty. It's all about turning the person into a work of art, using their natural beauty and facial features as my canvas and making them look and feel as beautiful as they can be. But the real trick, and difference between other types of make-up art like fashion and avant garde, is not to transform their natural features but bring them out. For example, with high fashion make-up one might put several layers of make-up on a model to completely change their facial features. But with beauty, I'll use shades, colors and textures in order to enhance natural features like someone's cheek bones, lips or eyes. Make-up is a decoration, not a mask.

Do you consider make-up a form of art?

Doing make-up is definitely a form of art. Like a painter you have to be able to select the right colors and textures in order to create your piece. Also, I find doing someone's make-up is just as relaxing as painting a picture. And when you see the happiness and excitement on their face afterward, it's extremely rewarding.

Why did you decide to be a make-up artist rather than expressing yourself through other mediums?

I enjoy other forms of art, like music and painting, but I have always thought make-up was extremely rewarding. When I finish my work I can step back and be very proud of what I just created, but when the client looks in the mirror and sees their personal transformation for the first time, it's extremely gratifying to know you can make someone so happy and, at times, more confident.