David Lynch, string eyelashes and her mother’s make-up bag: Anna Rudzit’s world of unconventional beauty.
Experimental beauty artist Anna Rudzit speaks to Perfect about her unique layering technique and her creative process utilising unconventional items, drawing upon her childhood memories of her mother’s make-up bag. Inspired by David Lynch, Rudzit calls upon her craft nature to create multiple expressions at once and showcase the vulnerability within beauty.
Perfect: Where does your love for make-up come from?
Anna Rudzit: I drew a lot in childhood, including on my face using my mother's cosmetics. I am grateful to my parents that they did’t forbid me to paint my entire face with red lipstick or go to school with bright blue eyeshadow, even if it was inappropriate. A close friend of mine told me recently that this love of make-up was always in me. Despite this, it took me a long time to finally come to creativity. As an adult, I took make-up artist courses and acquired photography and retouching skills. And then I combined my passion for make-up and photography in one experiment.
Perfect: When did you first start experimenting with avant-garde styles and techniques?
Anna Rudzit: This month marks two years since I started my experiments. At the very beginning of my work, I didn't even know what to call what I decided to do. I was completely fascinated by the idea that with just one part of the face, for example, the eyes. You can tell a story, convey a mood and evoke emotions in the viewer. Since then, I've started to come up with different textures from non-obvious things, as well as using various objects such as fruits, seeds, plants, jewellery, paper, wool, tape, fishing line, staples, balloons, plastic and much more. Also, things on the verge of beautiful and ugly are close to me.
Perfect: How would you describe the work that you create? What would you consider most identifiable of it?
Anna Rudzit: For me, it is like a surreal one-actor theatre. I like to catch ideas, turn them over, fill them with double meaning and then add a drop of sensuality to my look as well as finding the right light and using bright colours. I think that the most identifiable part of my work is working with textures. I often use cosmetic masks and clay, and then use a brush or my fingers to create shape and texture on my face. I am very happy when I get a photo where I can show the volume, the illusion of movement.
Perfect: What is your creative process when planning and putting together a look?
Anna Rudzit: It all starts with an idea. Often I don't wait for inspiration, I just sit down and start creating make-up without a plan and sketches. The whole process is quite chaotic; I can change something at any stage of creating a look. It happens that during a photo shoot I add a key detail to my make-up. Once I completely changed the colour of an image at the last moment and only then did I get satisfaction from the work. Experimental make-up gives you the right to make mistakes and, in a sense, freedom from convention.
Perfect: Who or what influences do you find most inspiring?
Anna Rudzit: I think first of all this is my personal experience. I felt creative energy in myself and a desire to share my fantasies. Also I've always been passionate about psychology, surrealism and David Lynch. I've always been a huge fan of what Lynch does as an artist, filmmaker and photographer.
Perfect: What would be a dream project for you to work on next?
Anna Rudzit: I want to create something interesting in my field for others, work for people, brands, magazines. Also, I have always dreamed of seeing my work in print and becoming a part of the exhibition and of course I plan to keep coming up with different textures, using new objects and taking photos for my blog.
