CLIENTS

James Earl Jones, David Strathairn, Greta Gerwig, Gabriel Byrne, Nathan Lane, Francis Conroy, Ellen Burstyn, The Colbert Report.

ON DEMAND

“Gun Hill Road” with Esai Morales, Judy Reyes, Harmony Santana

“No Pay Nudity” with Gabriel Byrne, Nathan Lane and Frances Conroy

“WONDERAMA” with David Osmond, Coco and Breezy

“Threebound” with Kate Forsatz and Jason Griffith

JENNIFER SNOWDON / MAKE UP ARTIST

Beauty is the outward expression of your inner intention.

To bring about that outward expression of the character’s essence, it can never just be about glamorizing or covering up. For me, it’s about attention to detail in technique and simplicity in design. (especially under the intense scrutiny of high-definition cameras)

I’ve always been an artist. I just wasn’t sure of my canvas. As a child, I spent my summers in the countryside near Montreal with my grandmother. I'd run up the hill to her cottage where lunch was ready and her paint box packed for the day. As a Plein air painter, Doris and I would row out into her scene of the day and drop anchor. I watched her magically mix the colors on her palette as we encountered the ever-changing light of the day.

Many years later, my Mentor - Dr. Kenneth G. Mills - decided I was doing his makeup. I'd never done makeup before but knew this was an opportunity not to be refused. (I had a tendency to shut those doors - but not this time). Armed with bronzer for the Star Scape Singers, I arrived to do makeup for both Dr. Mills and Rolland Smith for a PBS-style Interview shot on the first Sony high-definition camera in 1994.

I remembered back to the time with my grandmother, wondering why she never taught me her skills. But there I was - makeup brush in hand - and the floating color theory flowed so organically. I realized all those summers, side-by-side, as her afternoon assistant had been my teaching. And Dr. Mills saw an opportunity and opened the door!

After my first Command Performance, I went to study with Barry Berger in his school in Florida.

I was called to design the makeup for actor Craig Alan Edwards who was playing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. After the King Alive! shoot (directed by Martha Pinson) we went on to his do his one-man show, The Man in Room 306 at 59 E59th Street Theater in New York.

I finally found that faces and characters, more precisely - were my canvas. And it’s what I’ve been doing ever since. Before I even put brush to powder, I study the person sitting in my chair. What will bring out their natural beauty? What can I do to help them express themselves or to fully embrace their character or essence more seamlessly?

This is the basis of all of my work, whether it be on set for indie films, documentaries, theater, corporate events, or individuals. It’s about making every brush stroke an opportunity to ignite the intention, intuition, and humanity of every person or character along the way.

Make it up true!