RICK BAKER: AN INTIMATE SELF-PORTRAIT (LA Online)

“Now Rick has come full circle—in “retirement,” he’s as busy as ever, working on a wide range of projects at home. He says it feels like being a kid again.” – Peter Jackson

Rick Baker is a world-renowned titan of the film industry whose curriculum vitae glitters with Oscar® gold, having won a record 7 Academy Awards® for Best Makeup over the course of his career, but his beginnings likely resemble many of our own. As a taciturn “monster kid” who whiled away youthful hours gleefully poring over love-worn copies of Famous Monsters of Filmland, reverently drawing images of his favorite horror stars, and customizing Aurora model kits, Baker found that his idiosyncratic affinities made him something of a misfit. Through diligent research and exhaustive trial and error, Baker’s hobbies evolved into his life’s passion, as he incorporated mask-making and makeup into his creative world. Upon initial experimentation with makeup on himself, Baker recalls, “I sat in front of a mirror, but the reflection was not my face. It was no longer me. It was the face of a hideous vampire. Suddenly, I felt free. . . . I was hooked. I had to do more makeups. I wanted to look like my favorite monsters. On that day, my life was changed.” Although he was a shy adolescent, the transformative qualities of makeup emboldened Baker to dabble in the performative and the outrageous. Though seemingly contradictory, donning these eerie exoskeletons of his own design are precisely what enabled Baker to come out of his metaphorical shell.

Makeup artists are known for testing their trade on themselves – they are, after all, their most reliable test subject – but Rick Baker’s personal relationship with transformation is clearly more than one of convenience. It is immediately obvious from Baker’s lavishly illustrated biography, Metamorphosis, and from his endlessly entertaining Instagram account, that Baker delights in applying makeup to himself. With a career as storied and varied as his, Baker has a unique perspective on the psychology of physical change to share with us.

Miskatonic Los Angeles is deeply honored to host a conversation with the living legend himself, Rick Baker. Utilizing Baker’s self-portraits in the medium of monsters as our guide, we will track his personal and professional metamorphoses: from a boy to a man, and from a novice to a master.

Please note these are live events – they cannot be downloaded and watched later, so please be sure you are available at the time and timezone the classes are being offered in before registering.