Pat Mcgrath - Make Up Artist

Pat Mcgrath is a British born make up artist, born in 1970. Before pursuing a career in make up she completed an art foundation course at Northampton college. She was raised by only her mother, Mcgrath became increasingly attracted to the fashion and beauty industry at an early age. Her mother played a key role in her sucess, a single parent money wasnt so accessible at the time. She had self-taught herself how to sew, learning deisgner patterns of which many of Pats clothes were made from. Pat and her mother use to study classic film, this in turn helped aid Mcgrath into the industry. She gave her the knowledge to be able to look at the pattern, check suitable fabric, look for the type of make up being worn and then start her development based on this. When growing up Mcgrath, took inspiration from Boy george, Marilyn and Spandau Ballet, all of which have very differnt depictions of makeup. Following on from this her journey into the make up industry came when she was asked to assist on tour with Caron Wheeler. This then led Mcgrath onto work with ID magazines fashion director Edward enniful, which she then got the title for Beauty Director. With no formal training has become one of the most influential make up artists in the fashion industry. She regulalry directs the make up for many of the worlds biggest fashion houses creating the make up for catwalk shows, advertising campaigns and editorial shoots.

"Every designer takes you on a different journey. It's great when they let you into their fantasy." - Pat Mcgrath

She has come to fame for her unique, adventurous make up technique. More often than not she is seen to be using her hands as tools instead of brushes. Mid 90's she spent 10 seasons creating the make up concept for Prada and Miu Miu. 2004 she was names global cosmetics creative designer director for Procter and Gamble. She is highly influenced by fashion, she adapts and changes her style and use of products to how the fabrics and colours she sees. Nothing she does is ever the same, its nice to see an artist experimenting constantly and not presenting the same artwork across all faces. She has worked with celebrities such as Madonna and Oprah Winfrey. She collaborates regularly with major advertising campaigns for Louis Vuitton, Alexander McQueen and Balenciaga. Her editorial work also includes shoots for Vogue Italia and American Vogue. Every time she works she brings everything with her from sequins to art books. This is so that she is ready and prepared for all tasks big or small.

"It isn't just make-up... it's film, TV, history of art, books, clubs. The culture." - Pat Mcgrath

What inspires me about Pat Mcgrath is that she came from a single parent household, even though her mother gave her everything she could its nice to see that with hardwork and dedication a successful career can happen to anyone. This is inspiring because she was able to take the little knowledge that she had and by using her own innitaive, she had created her own life changing career path. What also inspires me about Pat Mcgrath is that she is very creative and passionate about her work. She takes each blank canvas and makes it unique. This is solely influential on me as i can now work on my own way of making something unique. I find that many artists stick to the same structure when it comes to make up. From researching i have found that many make up artists stick to the same regime of using just make up and the use of brushes to create stunning outcomes. Whereas Pat Mcgrath pushes the boundaries by using her fingers to be able to manipulate the make up on the face and also other objects such as, gems, sequins and cardboard to add extra dimension. I believe this is inspiring for many people as it lets other artists know that you can push yourself to new limits.

References:

http://www.vogue.co.uk/spy/biographies/pat-mcgrath-biography (online magazine)

(Accessed: 26/11/15)

http://www.fashionavecpassion.com/pat-mcgrath-a-living-legend-in-the-fashion-and-beauty-industry/ (online magazine)

(Accessed: 26/11/15)