THE work of a Haverfordwest make-up artist has been turning stomachs for the best part of a decade.

Jennifer Nelson has a passion for creating realistic makeup effects, from blood-spurting stumps to fleshy wounds.

She launched her career by completing a hairdressing and beauty therapy course at Pembrokeshire College in 1992, before going on to specialise in her field at other institutions.

Jennifer now has her own studios in London under the name MaXimal FX and teaches prosthetics to the next generation of gore lovers at Birmingham College University.

Her special effect skills have been applied on a wide variety of projects spanning film, theatre, fashion and TV programmes such as Holby City.

She has worked with leading industry organisations, artists and designers including the BBC, Royal Shakespeare Company, Alan Moore and Meadham Kirchhoff.

Jennifer’s creative talent has not gone unrecognised, having picked up numerous awards over the years for best make up.

She was recently invited to take part in a Radio 4 discussion on the British Board of Film Classification. It talked about the audience’s demand for ever-greater realism against the constraints of censorship.

Speaking of her work, Jennifer said: “The more realistic it is the better for the imagery and I guess the more shocking, which is what the production team want.”

You can find out more about Jennifer’s work by visiting www.maximalfx.com