DIRECTOR, CEO & FOUNDER

Tara spends her day keeping our Motley Crew happy and sane.  She is Artists Within’s own femme fatale. With her sky high heels and her subtle charm, she has the innate ability to direct 'the show' to go off without a hitch. 

With 30 years of international fashion acumen behind her, working on numerous photoshoots, magazine campaigns, commercials and runway shows, Tara has focused her creative abilities towards education and achieving the highest standards in the makeup profession.

She’s passionate about nurturing and fostering students with the skills & business tools to become successful in this industry, to ensure our students are ready for the competitive & fast-pace world of makeup artistry.

Tara also develops our own makeup line AW03 Maquillage. The line was designed with a makeup artist in mind, with all products being pigmented, blend-able and long wearing. 

She has been the education mastermind behind all our programs since 2003 and now leads our brand new Virtual Makeup Diploma.

STUDIO HEAD

Phoebe is a mastermind at both business and beauty! Phoebe is not only a former graduate of Artists Within but also a business school graduate. The ideal combo within the industry.

Phoebe's passion for makeup can be seen in our AW03 Makeup Studio, listening to the authentic voice of her clients to help them shine and feel their best selves! You will also find Phoebe working at the academy with our students, encouraging them to become the best version of themselves, while following the career of their dreams.

Phoebe finds the community, team, and students at Artists Within as well as brands like AW03, Kylie Cosmetics and MAC inspire her to continue to grow and thrive.

Her youthful approach to life, her drive and her ambition are inspiring and also contagious!

SPECIAL FX INSTRUCTOR

Amen began her makeup career in 2016 specializing in Special FX makeup. She is equally as proficient in fashion makeup work, which has included work behind the scenes of numerous fashion weeks and editorial magazine collaborations with her work published in magazines such as The Dapifer Issue, Flesh Mag, Laud Mag, Tinsel Tokyo Mag and Photo Vogue. 

Amen's passion continues into television and film production, specializing in out of kit makeup effects. She has worked on independent and union productions, leading and assisting some of the best makeup artists in the business. Her work has included productions such as ‘Okja’ and ‘Killing Gunther’ which has allowed her to work along side A-List actors such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tilda Swinton. In 2018 she received her first IMDB credit as Makeup Head of Department for the Indie Feature Film, ‘Fall Back Down’.

When Amen is not wielding her makeup brushes she can be found sculpting, and painting. We are excited to have her as part of the Artists Within’s team!

MAKEUP INSTRUCTOR

It all goes full circle! We are so excited to have our very own alumni as part of the team! Zander graduated from our Makeup Diploma course in 2011 and has had a very exciting, fulfilling career ever since! 

Zander has worked as a senior artist for MAC for years teaching masterclasses across Canada as well as hosting classes of his own across the country. He has worked on over 500 weddings, special events, photoshoots, and commercial campaigns. One of his career highlights was working on the Juno Awards and most recently on set with the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City while filming in New York. 

It’s so incredible to see what is possible with drive, focus and determination! Zander is now back with us as part of the team, ready to train the next up and coming makeup artist stars!

HAIR SESSION STYLING INSTRUCTOR

A passion for fashion and hair is the driving force behind this incredibly successful entrepreneur. The magical feeling of possibility, the feeling when a client is transformed and feels untouchable is the motivation behind Erin’s ambition and success.

A successful business requires not only talent, but also a savvy business mind. A trained hair stylist with a business management degree quickly took Erin to the top of her game when she jumped into the work force and began her journey within the industry. 

Part of the job entails being able to think on your feet or create at a moments notice, while knowing exactly how to cater to your clients needs. Erin is a master at this with so much knowledge and advice to share! We could not be happier to have Erin head up our Hair Session Styling Diploma department!

ADVANCED MAKEUP INSTRUCTOR

Bryan is known for his avant-garde style and unique approach to makeup. We are very excited to have him bring his eye-catching artistry techniques and his prior experience with early childhood education to our advanced makeup class. He knows how to guide and grow his students!

A graduate himself from Artists Within Makeup Academy, Bryan has found success reaching thousands of people on social media with his unique character designs. Some of his makeup look series have trended, receiving attention in local news and magazines, not to mention his following of over 700k on TikTok and 30k on IG. Follow his journey on Instagram @byran.mua.

Bryan has won various makeup competitions with his artistry, with industry brands such as Mehron Makeup, and the iconic Val Garland’s GlowUp Challenge.

We are always in awe of Bryan's work whenever we get to watch him instruct at the academy!

FASHION STYLING INSTRUCTOR

Fashion stylist extraordinaire, Erin Donnelly-Ferguson, is a master at her craft. She lives and breathes fashion! Erin originates from Phoenix and San Francisco where her styling career began over 15 years ago.

Erin has worked globally with J.Crew, styling, merchandising and doing window design, in New York, Phoenix and San Francisco. Her career also expanded to working on runways, editorial and personal styling which she continues today.

Erin provides a warm an encouraging environment for  our styling students to push their creativity. Whenever possible Erin brings her career to the students, allowing them to accompany her on real set/show experiences to really get a feel of how the industry works and the level of drive and determination necessary to succeed.

Our in academy Styling Diploma program is starting again in the fall, dates will be released shortly!

SPECIAL FX INSTRUCTOR

C. Blake Evernden is an award-winning independent filmmaker, Special FX Makeup artist and instructor. As a Special FX artist, he’s worked on numerous features and a myriad of shorts and music videos, with his work being recognized for Best Special FX makeup from the San Antonio Horrific Film Fest in 2014.

This multi-talented artist has worked professionally as a filmmaker since 2007, completing two features with his second, Prairie Dog, having played at 20 festivals worldwide, winning 6 awards and being picked up for international distribution. 

His short films have collectively played at over 54 festivals worldwide, winning 8 awards between them, many of which he contributes Special FX Makeup to as well. 

He’s currently in post-production on his latest short, Aperture, an experimental narrative.

When Blake isn’t busy on set, he runs an illustration and design studio focusing on traditional art practice, creating genre art and movie poster designs for independent film productions, and limited-edition fine art prints. 

We are elated to welcome Blake’s talent and expertise as one of our Special FX Makeup Diploma program instructors!

ADVANCED MAKEUP INSTRUCTOR

Photography and makeup artistry go together like martinis and olives! Shea is the perfect combo of both with her two incredibly successful businesses, that feature makeup and photography. 

Shea’s 16 years in the fashion industry has given her the artistic eye needed to create and perfect all she does. 

Shea’s makeup career started with Nars Cosmetics back in 2008 before becoming an Independent Makeup Consultant for Holt Renfrew. She went on to work with Duwop Cosmetics as a trainer and Master Class Educator across Western Canada and USA. 

Fashion and editorial work has always been a focus for Shea which she now combines with her love for creativity and photography. 

Our students are incredibly lucky to have Shea’s creative guidance as she guides them through visually stunning demos/creations while instructing them through our Advanced Makeup Diploma. 

EDMONTON EDUCATOR

Denée Noel is a professional bridal, beauty and celebrity makeup artist based in Edmonton, Alberta, represented by Mode Models International.

During her 20 years as a professional makeup artist, Denée has trained and led teams for some of the best beauty brands in the industry including MAC Cosmetics, NARS, L’Oréal, Holt Renfrew and Anastasia Beverly Hills. A great achievement of her storied career was assisting Charlotte Tilbury for her Masterclass at Holt Renfrew Vancouver in 2015. 

Her makeup brushes have graced the faces of renowned models such as Adau Mornyang, Coco Rocha, Elizabeth Davison, Heather Marks, Tasha Tilberg, Grace Bol and Lilian Leopold to name a few. Her expertise also extends to celebrities such as Nuela Charles, Fiona Forbes, Kim Appelt, Natalie Langston and Karen Khun Khun. 

Her work can be found in publications such as Vogue, Wedlux and Vancouver Mag as well as online editorial magazine publications such as Opium Red, French Fashion Magazine Malvie, Elléments and Shuba. 

A pop up location in Edmonton has been on our radar for some time which will be led by this talented lady. Stay tuned for dates!

EYELASH EXTENSION MASTER

Jazmine is the mastermind behind the incredibly successful lash company  ‘Lashin Out’ which she started in 2012 when lashes were just coming onto the scene. Since then, the lash industry has grow not just locally but internationally into a billion dollar industry. Her company grew so quickly that she quit her career as a Dental assistant to take up lashing full time. She huge was the freedom of working for herself which she is passional about empowering other women to do the same.

Jazmine is proud of the sterilization skills she learned during her dental career which she brings to the lash industry. 

In 2018 she developed her own premium lash product line which she now sells to lash artists worldwide. 

Her mission is to equip other lash artists with the knowledge to run successful businesses thorough education of proper lash technique and product knowledge. 

Her favorite part of lashing is the deep connections she has made with hundreds of clients and students. 

Jazmine is proud of the fact that ‘Lashin Out’ is 100% indigenous owned and hopes to inspire other indigenous entrepreneurs. When she’s not running her busy salon, training or lashing you can find her camping & traveling with her husband and 3 daughters under the age of 6. 

Life is busy…and we are thrilled to have this talented go-getter as part of our team!

SUNLESS SPRAY TAN MASTER

Our certified sunless artist, Gillian is a lover of all things beauty related! She began her journey in the beauty industry working as a consultant for a high end skincare brand where she began educating others and herself on the importance of protecting your skin from damaging UV rays.

When Gillian started down this career path, she herself wanted to ditch harmful tanning beds and UV rays and instead provide a service that allowed clients to have a sun kissed glow all year round without damaging their skin. After a couple bad spray tan experiences herself, she set a high level of service and excellence using the highest quality products and founded Sprae by Gillyrae. 

She saw a huge lack in quality Sunless Tan training programs in Calgary and began educating and sharing her depth of skin knowledge and experience with her own 1:1 hands on training. 

In June of 2021 she launched her own brand of at-home Sunless retail products ‘Signature Skin’. Gillian continues to expand with new products to help others attain that bronzed appearance, the safe and healthy way. 

Whether you are a total sunless newbie or a tan expert she creates products for anyone to use! ‘Be good to your skin, you'll wear it everyday for the rest of your life’.

Gillian is currently offering in class certified courses, at the academy. Keep an eye out for the launch of our ‘Online Sunless Tanning’, certified, course collaboration which is about launch!