Author: Evan Richardson
Publisher: Mcfarland & Co Inc
ISBN: 978-0-7864-7096-9
ISBN: 978-1-4766-0137-3 (E-Book)

Today, Bookpleasures.com is honored to have as our guest Evan Richardson, renowned make-up artist and author of The Star Shiner: Memoir of a Celebrity Make-Up Artist

Evan received a BFA degree at University of Kentucky with commercial art training at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY. He recently returned to Pratt to teach the art of beauty make-up in the Fashion Department for two years.

His work credited in magazines as John-Evan Richardson, he was one of the first make-up artists to do make-up for American fashion magazines. For over 25 years his make-up work appeared regularly in and on the cover of fashion and women’s magazines like Vogue, French and Italian Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Ladies Home Journal, and Redbook.

He made appearances on The Donahue Show and Good Morning New York and articles about him appeared in magazines and newspapers like Vogue, Glamour, New York Magazine, and the New York Times.

He worked with top fashion photographers like Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, and Francesco Scavullo, and designed make-up for ads for cosmetic companies like: Revlon, Estée Lauder, Clairol, L’Oreal, MayBelleine, and Cover Girl.

He made up over 130 celebrities including in alphabetical order: Julie Andrews, Lucille Ball, Tallulah Bankhead, Drew Barrymore, Mikhail Baryshnikov, David Bowie, Johnny Carson, Glenn Close, Faye Dunaway, Susan Lucci, Shirley MacLaine, Madonna, Bette Midler, Liza Minnelli, Paul Newman, Yoko Ono, Luciano Pavarotti, Michelle Pfeiffer, Gilda Radner, Christopher Reeve, Susan Sarandon, Diane Sawyer, Frank Sinatra, Jaclyn Smith, Sting, Elizabeth Taylor, Barbara Walters, and Joanne Woodward.

Evan also designed make-up for numerous Broadway shows: No, No, Nanette, Coco, Good News, Dancin’, Dr. Jazz, and Oh, Kay!

Norm:

Good day Evan and thanks for participating in our interview.

Norm:

What is a make-up artist, what does one do as a make-up artist and how do you become one?

Evan:

Make-up artists are essential for a magazine shoot because the models or a celebrity are usually not capable of achieving a beautiful make-up for photography.

Photography make-up is different than street make-up because it is more covered or powdered to keep the studio lights from bouncing around on a greasy face and distorting the features.

Photography make-up is more controlled and precise than a regular street make-up and most models and celebrities don't know how to apply photography make-up unless they've had a lot of training and have seen it done many times and become adapt at it, like Elizabeth Taylor when I worked with her. She knew exactly how to do it after many time around on studio make-up, but I still had to control her.

This is the reason make-up artists are needed on a studio shoot for magazines: to control the make-up and make sure that dark circles under the eyes, by example, are carefully covered, as well as imperfections, and that the best features of the face are brought out. When I began there were no make-up artists and there was a lot of re-touching on the photos because of it.

Make-up artists are about control of the face and making sure things are right for the camera. Proper studio make-up also cuts down on having things re-touched which takes time and money to do.  

I came to becoming a make-up artist  by necessity. I had returned to New York City after several years in Paris modeling and doing fashion illustration, as I had been doing in New York before I left, but when I returned department stores that before advertised their clothing with fashion drawings had replaced the drawings with photography. I no longer wanted to model and fashion illustration was obsolete.

Since I had been observing models for some time doing their make-up and since I understood art from my art training, I developed a style of applying make-up using my painterly skills. I even used brushes from art supply stores. Sable brushes give a flawless application with make-up and I still have the brushes form years ago when I began. They last forever, not like rabbit hair or squirrel hair.

Norm:

I noticed you worked with over 130 celebrities. How was it like to work with these celebrities and would you care to tell us about any memorable or unusual experiences you may have had over the years working with these celebrities?

Evan:

Well, I met Tallulah Bankhead one evening in the hallway of her apartment totally naked. That was memorable to say the least. As with everyone, celebrities would affect each of us differently. Some of my experiences were gratifying and some were dismal. You want to know who that was, don’t you. You wouldn’t want to report me as a kiss and tell would you?

Norm:

How did you decide you were ready to write The Star Shiner: Memoir of a Celebrity Make-Up Artist? As a follow up, did you enjoy the process of writing your first book?

Evan:

I honestly loved the experience of writing. I always wanted to create drama, laughter, entertainment, etc. It was most gratifying and I will continue to write and try to have my books published.

I also wrote a musical called GUYS that is posted on  MYSPACE 

Go there; it’s worth the trip. It was put on 5 times in reading by 2 different production companies and that was very gratifying.

As far as writing the book, I had some things I wanted to say about what I learned in my career as a young man starting out in a city like New York, and also about my partner who died of AIDS in the early ‘80s.

I felt my book would be beneficial to other gay men and women starting out today in a world that is quite different than the world I grew up in, and certainly started out in.

There are still pitfalls as I experienced, and there is still AIDS that didn’t exist when I began. AIDS and youth are probably what I wanted most to address, as well as entertainment with the celebrities, and maybe some of the perils that can come from recognition. Achievement can be good and bad and it is an issue that needs to be addressed if you are ambitious as I was. I never wanted mediocrity. I came from a small town. I’d had enough of that. It takes as much energy to succeed as to flounder. Depends in which direction you want to go.

Norm:

Can you share a little of your book with us?

Evan:

How about an excerpt from the synopsis of the book?

Though The Star Shiner continues through the ‘80s into the early ‘90s, when Richardson did the main part of his work with celebrities, the story is especially a narrative of the ‘70s, played out against the backdrop of the golden era of fashion and cosmetics when Vogue’s editor-in-chief, Diana Vreeland, Charles Revson and Estée Lauder, the king and queen of cosmetics, and photographers Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, and Francesco Scavullo, ruled the industries.

While America concludes the war in Vietnam, the reader is taken inside a world of sex and drugs where individuals are treated as stepping stones to the next sexual encounter. We experience wild nights at Studio 54, downtown after-hours dungeons seething with sex and violence. Perhaps the most important contribution of the book is how the party ended with the scourge of AIDS that took Richardson’s partner and turned Richardson’s life around with a spiritual awakening.

The final story is ultimately a triumph over adversity in which a man struggles to find his spiritual path back to life through the ashes of a decade that best fits F. Scott Fitzgerald's description of the Twenties: “the most expensive orgy in history.”

Norm:

Can you tell us how you found representation for your book? Did you pitch it to an agent, or query publishers who would most likely publish this type of book? Any rejections? Did you self-publish?

Evan:

Please let any writer know that if they can’t take rejection, take up knitting. Rejection is part of any artist’s life. Anyone who thinks it’s an easy road better have a reality check, or better, don’t venture out. Not for the faint hearted.

I won’t go into my war stories but believe me I have the scars to prove I’ve been in one. Like 7 agents, one worse than the one before, publishers that wouldn’t even look at the book, agents telling me to get a writer, excuse me! McFarland and Co. was dream-come- true experience. It was recommended to them; they read it, liked it, and said immediately they wanted to publish it. But they are a small company, not like the big ones, and have less to worry them. Probably never happen again that way, so any writer don’t get any ideas it will be an easy road. Easy roads are for cars.

Norm:

What would you say is the best reason to recommend someone to read the book and what are you hopes for your book?

Evan:

The book is informative on many levels. I always go into the financial and political climate in the world and in New York throughout the book so the reader knows exactly what is going on and why that produces the action I’m talking about.

Like Vietnam: there were a set of circumstances surrounding that both politically and financially in Washington and in New York at the time. There was a lack of police protection due to lack of funds that produced The Son of Sam, David Berkowitz murders, the subway vigilante, Bernhard Goetz, who took the law into his own hands and shot rampaging boys on the subway, the jogger rape in Central Park, etc.

People were afraid of coming to New York then because it wasn’t safe, and they were right. Not until Mayor Giuliani did the city begin to turn around.

The book is a history of New York and particularly the gay culture at the time because after the Stonewall riot in 1969, gay liberation began. And AIDS awareness also began in the ‘70s. So the book is especially a narrative of the ‘70s, though it continues into the early ‘90s when Francesco Scavullo, my primary photographer that I worked with for 25 years, died.

Norm:

What was the most difficult part of writing your book?

Evan:

Remembering everything. I got old after all that time, what do you expect?

Norm:What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your book?

Evan:

Nothing is surprising when you write foe 2 solid years on a project. What is surprising is that you have the energy to do it.

Norm:

Any unique ways you'll be marketing your book that is different from how others authors market their books?

Evan:

I’m trying to figure that out as all writers today must do. This is not the F. Scott Fitzgerald era when the road is paved for us by some publishing company.

Norm:

What has been your overall experience as a published author and do you hear much from your readers?

Evan:

I’ve had a few comments from readers, quite nice, so far.

Norm:

What are you upcoming projects?

Evan:

Staying alive primarily. I have a murder story called TRUCK STOP that a publishing company says they’d like to publish

Norm:

Where can our readers find out more about you and our book The Star Shiner: Memoir of a Celebrity Make-Up Artist?

Evan:

Publisher: Mcfarland & Co Inc

AMAZON.COM

Norm:

As this interview draws to a close what one question would you have liked me to ask you? Please share your answer.

Evan:

I don’t want you to ask me but tell me where I can make a million dollars?

Norm:

Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors

Follow Here To Purchase The Star Shiner: Memoir of a Celebrity Make-Up Artist

Check Out Some Great Deals On Amazon.com