Behind the Image is an ongoing MODELS.com series taking a more personal look at both established and emerging creative talent.
Kennedy | Image courtesy of Streeters
Kennedy, Makeup Artist
Hometown/country: The Inland Empire “The IE”, Southern California. Are there any Lynch fans out there?
Based: Los Angeles and New York
Representation: Streeters
How would you describe your work?
I think of my work as a journey to try to find the unexpected within a beauty norm. My work focuses on the idea of undoing what’s been done. My approach has always been similar to a fine art approach in that pursuit. I enjoy studying both the techniques and cultural context that beauty exists in before using that understanding to break beauty down in unexpected ways, carve my path, and totally fuck things up!
What’s your trademark?
My work has a soft edge. At some point, someone coined it as “Nightcrawler Beauty,” and I really loved that description.
How did you first discover your passion for makeup, and what drew you specifically into the world of beauty?
I was obsessed with makeup from a young age. I think there’s a photo somewhere of me with my first piece of makeup; I was 3 years old. My first exposure to the creative realm was in my preteens with my grandmother, who was a painter and sculptor. She was creative and eccentric, and I think she saw those same qualities in me. She took me under her wing and showed me the ropes, and from there, I really took the ball and ran with it. I made it my goal to take everything she’d taught me and translate it into working on a three-dimensional space — using the face as the canvas.
What other jobs have you had?
I worked at an auto auction when I was 17, and at one point, I was a creative director for Lip Service, an iconic Los Angeles-based fetish wear company owned by one of my best friends. I’ve been doing makeup exclusively for the past 13 years.
What inspires your creative process and influences your artistic vision?
My inspiration comes from film, music, and my roots – never forget where you come from. The part of the IE (Inland Empire) I’m from was a really unique and bizarre place. It was an old trade hub, citrus community, and college town surrounded by canyons, train tracks, and trailer parks. I grew up fast; it was a hub for street races, dirt bike races, lifted trucks, and nu metal. Those roots and my artist grandmother’s background bred who I am today.
You and Charli xcx have recently created some standout makeup looks. Can you walk us through your usual collaborative process with her?
I appreciate collaboration — understanding a person’s vision and crawling into someone’s mind. Charli and I have a lot of crossover in taste which makes the process easy. She has been really involved from the inception of anything and has an impeccable work ethic, but she still manages to have fun – big respect! When she brings an idea to the table, I sort of run with it, pitching different ways we can enhance the idea (she loves hearing a pitch to a process). Once, she brought me a photo of some brows with the ends shaved off; after a few minutes of dialogue and a guarantee that it would look great, we had the brow trimmer in hand to shave the ends off. She is a fun girlie who’s always down! It’s always a matter of trust, and I think we breached that point years ago. Love u, Charli!
What have you watched/heard/read lately that has inspired you?
I’ve been really into films lately; shout out to Letterboxd. I LOVED Poor Things; Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe in a Frankenstein-hedonistic fantasy gagged me. I also recently re-watched Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita. Nobody understands glam like the Italians in the ’60s. I love glam with black-and-white contrast—it’s dark but timeless. It has the soft edge I love!
You’ve been working with Petra Collins consistently since 2020—can you share what it’s been like to create alongside her?
Oh, Petra, what a gem, a true gift to this world. She’s such a creative wonder. I truly feel her creative vision to my core. She is playful and comes off as pure and innocent but has an honest edge that makes you really buy into what’s being sold. I remember we were shooting a Vogue cover in Joshua Tree, and I was coming off of a 14-hour day driving straight there with an assistant. On the car ride, I had this weird fever dream where I saw a green powdery eye onTess McMillan, a Raphaelite angel. When I pitched it to Petra, she knew exactly what I meant and saw it too. That’s it, she’s just down! She is a real one who is there for the art and to truly create a world for the viewer to live in.
What do you love about what you do?
I love traveling, being surrounded by creatives, and executing a vision. There’s nothing more rewarding for an artist than turning what you see in your mind into reality.
What’s one thing outside of your work that you would like people to know about you?
I’d love for people to know that I’m not just a makeup artist. I deeply respect the wild and am fully obsessed with the outdoors, off-roading, and ATVs. I also carry a pink tool kit with me, so I can fix pretty much anything!
Who do you think is one to watch?
Theo Liu; I am obsessed with his work.
Selected Work
Charli xcx by David LaChapelle | Image courtesy of Streeters
New York Magazine August 2024 Cover
It’s always been a goal of mine to shoot with David LaChapelle. The entire shoot made sense when the day came – Charli and David were a dynamic pairing. David has an entire entourage, including the infamous Sharon Gault. The day was awe-inspiring and gave me a glimpse into a different time. I mean, come on, Charli was being chased by a 12’ hand!
Irina Shayk by Theo Liu | Image courtesy of Streeters
Formula 1
We shot this story at Pista Di Fiorano in Modenese, Italy. I felt like I had walked into a Ferrari movie set, but it was all authentic — I mean, we shot in front of Enzo Ferrari’s home with Irina Shayk?! Insanity. Vogue Italia is one of my favorite publications; the team is so special. Theo took Irina on an adventure, shooting her with a pit crew and actual F1 racers all over the facility. She’s great; what a force and the face of an angel. I remember Theo had a mini racetrack with hundreds of these Japanese race cars that he wanted Irina to lie on. At the end of the shoot, he let us all take one home — a token from a core memory.
Taylor Russell by Carlijn Jacobs | Image courtesy of Streeters
Dazed Magazine Winter 2022 Covers
Another dream match-up. Taylor is insanely gorgeous, and I really understand her face + Carlijn is a creative genius. I remember mixing lots of custom colors of grease paint that day for a green mask I painted on Taylor’s face in 15 minutes before I had to catch a flight to LA. Carlijn had sent me a sketch of the mask on Taylor’s face the night before. This job can present impossible challenges, but conquering them gives you this sort of superpower feeling that you can achieve anything.
Tess McMillan by Petra Collins | Image courtesy of Streeters
Vogue Ukraine July/August 2021 Cover
I had to share this image as an all-time favorite because of the story I told in my interview. This makeup look was literally in a dream I had, and Tess is so open to really wearing a look and feeling insanely confident and beautiful in it. The set designer, Nick, was sketching alien drawings in charcoal on the side where we were shooting as a prop for another shot. It was pretty surreal—a true Petra moment.
Alexa Demie by Petra Collins | Image courtesy of Streeters
Fairy Tales
This book feels like a child I gave birth to. Its entirety formed deep bonds that exist until this day. I had always wanted to make a book, but to make one with Petra and Alexa was wild. I could cry thinking about this. We conceptualized it in early COVID as one shoot, Alexa as a sexy elf. The internet went wild, so it needed to be a book. We spent 13 days making this during COVID as one unit in our own bubble. We all had to take a COVID test every morning before walking to set. Those times seem like distant memories, but I will remember them forever. I have such a cool job!
Ella Snyder by Theo Liu | Image courtesy of Streeters
The Enchanted Vaults of Dungeon World
I remember being so excited when Theo asked me about this shoot because we were shooting in this wild underground bunker in Las Vegas, which I had always wanted to see. It was built in the 70’s by a doomsday preparer as a fallout shelter. It’s a total fantasy land of fake trees, sunset skies painted on ceilings, multiple real homes, and pools. It’s sort of indescribable. We spent 12 hours underground, and when we all came up, it was a bit disorienting but such a wild experience.
