Check Out Mariah Keirns’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mariah Keirns.

Hi Mariah, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
My career journey started ten years ago after taking a theatrical makeup class at school. I fell in love with character creation. When my seventh-grade teacher told me that makeup artists can make good money, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t catch my interest. Face Off, a makeup competition show opened my eyes to the behind-the-scenes artistry of creating makeup prosthetics from start to finish.

I got my first professional gig in high school traveling across the U.S, doing contract work, and creating injury simulation makeups for Army disaster preparedness drills. Around the same time, I started working with many local mentors learning sculpting, live casting, and mold making. I began making makeup prosthetics in my unfinished basement using books and online videos to teach myself.

Once graduating high school, I continued to pursue my career aspirations by receiving formal training at Cinema Makeup School in Los Angeles. Since then, I have been working as a freelance beauty and effects makeup artist and a contractor for local special effects shops.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I wonder if any pursuit in the arts is ever smooth; you have to rely on passion to keep you going through the tough times. Being a freelance/contract worker can be hard in the beginning when you don’t know when work is going to come your way. It’s a journey of building your business and reputation in the industry.

Some of my earliest industry experience was with projects and production companies with minimal budgets who still wanted top-dollar makeup and effects. In those situations, I made the mistake of delivering way more value than what I was paid for. In an industry as small as mine, you can’t underprice your work. That was a hard lesson.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in creature prosthetic makeup similar to some of the characters in films like the Harry Potter series. Think of the Gringotts goblins, and you’ll have a good idea of the makeup I created. These prosthetics are made out of various materials. My favorite is silicone, a medium that merges art with a little bit of chemistry. I specialize in using silicone to create makeup appliances and all sorts of other products. I also enjoy making puppets, props, and facades. Creating visual characters that fit into the set’s overall aesthetic and surroundings is one of the challenges of the job I like best.

In the makeup world, a prosthetic isn’t a device to replace a limb or a digit but an enhancement or extension of a physical feature. A prosthetic appliance can take hours to make because the process requires many steps. My favorite thing about working with silicone is the experimentation it takes to create the desired effect. I am most proud of my work which has reached the most people. I recently worked on my first feature film doing silicone work, sculpting, painting, and mold making.

In creating any special effects, you are drawing on many skills to make something new. It’s always a new situation requiring different materials and processes. I’m often faced with trying new ideas and processes for the first time. I love the challenge of experimenting until I find a solution that works.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I am extremely hopeful for the future of my industry, especially with the recent growth I’ve seen in the Denver area. The couple of Colorado shops I work with now are fairly new as businesses. Still, the projects keep coming in, and so many Denver-based artists are being discovered and recognized by a worldwide audience. I’m excited about another feature film I’ll be working on starting in a few weeks. When you see great makeup in your favorite films and TV, it very well could be my work you see.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sfxmariah/?hl=en 

Image Credits
Dusty Image, Madi Lyn, Matt Jackson, and Adam Dougherty