The face of Tim Robbins, in his Oscar-winning portrayal of the haunted Dave Boyle in Mystic River, still lingers in the memories of many movie-goers. The map of lines on Robbins' face and the dark circles under his eyes complemented the sense of inner torment that he achieved in his performance. Although credit for the inner torment goes to the gifted actor, help with the lines and circles came from Naples resident and artist Maryellen James, who worked as a make-up designer on the film. It's one of the highlights of a three-decade career that she describes as "an embarrassment of riches."

James, who lives in Old Naples, has been here 25 years, commuting to assignments in New York, Boston, Hollywood and other cities around the country. Among those jobs: styling rockers Aerosmith for the cover of Rolling Stone, transforming award-winning actor F. Murray Abraham for a stage production of King Lear and glamorizing a crowd full of gala-going extras for the movie True Lies. In the past few years, she's scaled down, choosing only plum assignments-like working with the stellar cast and crew of Mystic River.

"Clint Eastwood is an enormously gifted director," James says, describing his personality as "refreshingly understated." In real life, James says, Robbins is confident, witty and good-looking, but through his body language and voice, and with the lines, circles and an added softness to his skin, he captured the essence of Dave Boyle-"a man whose life has been sickened by unresolved trauma." She was also responsible for the look of the people in the working-class neighborhood and for the character of Katie Marcus-seen as a beautiful young girl and as a battered corpse.

James, whose first job was selling tickets at a movie theater on Cape Cod, says she's never been starstruck. "You can't be," she says. "You have to be at ease in every situation and very protective of the talent's privacy."

In Naples and on movie sets, James enjoys painting and sketching. One of the original Gators Galore artists, James is also on the board of directors of the Southwest Florida Film Society, which is filling "a real need," she says in bringing more art and independent films here. She says, "Filmmaking is a magical and amazing medium-through pictures and sound, it can affect the emotions of so many."