From ‘Composition’ to Collaboration

A Natural Look Inspired by Jackson Pollock

Whether looking at fashion magazines, commercials, or blogs online, inspiration for everyday beauty can come from anywhere, including from a painting. Through my design studio, LKN Studio, I work as a wardrobe, set and prop stylist for photography and film productions. One of the most rewarding aspects about working within these industries is collaborating with the many accomplished creatives local to West Michigan. Today, I partnered with one of Grand Rapids’ top hair and makeup stylists, Rebecca Gohl, to create a natural beauty look inspired by the painting ‘Composition’ (ca.1946) by the American artist Jackson Pollock using eco-friendly cosmetics and hair products. It will give you a view into how we as production styling professionals work together to take inspiration and apply it to real life.

The Collaborator

Rebecca Gohl, a native to Grand Rapids, has been working in the production industry from age 15 where she started with her father, David Winick, building sets for film production. She has worked in various roles in the industry from production assistant, wardrobe and set stylist, but found her true passion as a hair and makeup stylist. “I’ve always loved fashion and people and have been drawn to period hair and makeup,” Gohl explains. “I set my hair in vintage sets regularly and spend most of my extra time researching different period hair and makeup to become an expert.” Even though her main draws are retro and historical fashion, Gohl loves to create styles from past to present. She works regularly on commercial and editorial fashion shoots for clients such as Hush Puppies, Merrell, and Amway to create fresh and contemporary looks that inspire the fashion forward beauty lovers. Her energy and creativity are inspiring to work with.

The Inspiration

Gohl and I met to discuss our inspiration, the painting ‘Composition’ (ca.1946) by Jackson Pollock. Pollack was a major figure in the Abstract Expressionist movement and is well known for his drip paintings. For the technique, Pollock would play music in the background as he worked, dip his paint brush into paint and start moving it to the music over the canvas without touching the canvas directly; allowing the paint to drip from the brush and create threadlike strokes that seem to shoot across the surface. While examining the painting, the dynamic expression of the motion of the strokes and the layering of neutral colors (black, white, tan and ivory) with accents of bright colors (aquamarine, cobalt blue, goldenrod yellow, blush pink and pure red) stood out to us both. We found our inspiration for the look.

The Collaboration

To create an eco-friendly look that would reflect Pollock’s work, Gohl utilized natural and organic products from the hair product company Onesta and the cosmetic company Ecco Bella. For the hair, she created a spiral texture throughout with a curling iron, which mimics the long strokes of Pollock’s paintbrush. Gohl used Onesta’s products to naturally protect the model’s hair from the heat and hold the style. As Pollock used layers of color in his painting, Gohl created a light neutral base on the face and cheeks and then layered bronze, deep blue and golden yellow tones from Ecco Bella’s product line to accent the eyes. To frame the eyes, she hand dipped the tips of faux eyelashes in mascara to imitate the dripped dot effect of Pollock’s technique and worked them in between the model’s lashes. A beautiful shade of rose was selected to top off the lips and reflect the pink accents seen in the work. Below is a list of the products used:

 Ecco Bella Cosmetics for the Face and Lips

Concealer: FlowerColor Coverup Beige

Base: FlowerColor Face Powder Fair

Cheeks: FlowerColor Bronzing Powders Hibiscus and Sunflower

Eyelids: FlowerColor Powdered Eyeliner Mystic, FlowerColor Powdered Eyeliner La Lune

Eyeliner: Soft Eyeliner Pencils Royal Blue and Bronze, FlowerColor Powdered Eyeliner La Lune

Mascara: Natural Black Mascara

Lips: FlowerColor Lipstick Claret Rose

Onesta Products for the Hair Styling

For Heat and Styling: Create Liquid Setting Mist

For Styling and Hold: Create Finish Spray Firm Hold

For the clothing, I kept the base palette dark and neutral with the black-fringed dress to mimic the darker tones of the painting. Yellow and gold tones were added through jewelry to imitate the bright splatter of goldenrod paint. The background is similar to the shade of aquamarine paint used by Pollack, which I decided to keep simple like an artist’s canvas so that the model’s look becomes the focus of the image.

When in motion, the combination of the free-flowing fringed dress, the hair, and jewelry streaming through the air along with the accents of color seen in the subject’s face creates an awe-inspiring effect that brings the strokes of Pollock’s painting to life.