Johnny Depp, a no-show at the CFDA Awards the year he was honored with the Icon Award (John Waters accepted on his behalf), is being courted with another award. This time it’s the Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild who are doing the flattering with the group’s first Distinguished Artisan award, given to Depp for his artistic collaboration with the industry. (What’s next? Prosthetic Awards?)

Chances are he won’t show up to the ceremony on February 15 at Paramount Studios Theatre in L.A., even if the award is well-deserved, thanks to his god-given gift at playing not-too-flamboyant characters requiring gobs of guyliner and hours upon hours in the make-up chair. Lone Ranger was a box-office flop, but few can deny Depp’s commitment to Tonto and the Native American character’s cosmetic needs. It’s not hard to imagine him living and sleeping in white face with dried black tears — complete with a taxidermal crow on his head — months before filming started.

As far back as his title role in Edward Scissorhands, Depp’s embrace of the transformative power of greasepaint has been nothing short of awe-inspiring. But, a word of caution: avoiding non-Oscar awards would be ill-advised as it may just be the makeup-enabled sullen expression and row upon corn row of electrodes on his head in the upcoming film Transcendence that deliver to Depp his elusive first Oscar win…