We recently connected with Andrea Maw and have shared our conversation below.
Andrea, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?
I started painting in earnest quite recently, at this later stage of my life, in my early sixties. It had been a very long time coming before I could fulfill my dream to be a full-time artist.
I was given a strong foundation for artistic expression. My mother, who had an innate talent, and strong interest in fine art painting always had a canvas on the go over in the ‘self taught’ aisle. Mum’s time in her studio was evenings when four children and the family business had been put to bed. My maternal grandfather was a gifted and somewhat acclaimed painter in Germany in the early part of the 20th century, though I had no exposure to any of his works, nor had I ever met him. Grandmother was a very young woman when she had Mum – Opi to me had been the handsome young soldier who married my Oma and raised my mother. I adored them both. Thankfully, though, my mother eventually spilled the beans on this part of her history, thereby introducing me to an understanding of the family artistic lineage.
I, too, easily took to canvases, and over decades, like Mum, painted in the wee hours finding much joy in experimenting, discovering and developing techniques, skills, styles – essentially, feeling my way into this familial thread of painters. Meanwhile, coming from an entrepreneurial upbringing where we kids were actively involved in family business – mobile and event catering with several drive-in fast food restaurants – it was natural that I would continue applying myself as I had been raised – to vigorously strive and achieve.That zeal found me in a robust career in real estate development in Vancouver, Canada, and eventually the Southwest USA , based here in Scottsdale, Arizona, that afforded nice homes and private school for my children thanks to the economic booms. With that, though came the hair raising, pocket emptying, roller coaster ride navigating several busts.
Bottom line – it was with jealousy of the time I didn’t have in my 30s, 40s and 50s to devote to painting that had me yearning to be in an art studio instead of out in the world raising capital to fund real estate or running other enterprises including as co-founder of my organic juice company and organic skin care line, Stark Naked Skin Care. Finally, as the world turned quiet in March of 2020, I retired, and with glee and a big thirst, I have been producing many works ever since.
The long time yearning for my dream to come true is what fuel’s my appreciation and excitement for painting now. There is so much joy and fulfillment knowing that as I continue to develop my skill, I am laying a foundation for what can be a very long career ahead in painting. Writers and artists can pursue their careers into very old age, body and mind willing.
I admire artists who have achieved great success – producing gorgeous works whilst being well remunerated. That achievement is a long, grueling journey. The opportunity for artists today that was not available had I started an artistic career earlier, is access to the brilliant technology that today allows artists to build direct relationships with fans and collectors, participation in unique online or physical venues and events, access to juried competitions, not to mention being able to easily admire other artists’ works, while generally feeling into the current zeitgeist. Aside from exposure, the technology today allows artists to create derivative works from images of their originals, giving artists great leverage to extend their creativity including into the world of NFT’s. And yet, being represented by a gallery is still a wonderful channel that is as relevant today as it was decades ago, a great testament to how technology has supported a remarkable evolution of the art world rather than having killed a key aspect of it in the process of the disruption.
In closing, for me, I love how being an artist fits into my life allowing me to also joyfully fulfill my many roles of wife, mother, grandma, small business owner, in addition to the freedom to refresh my perspective with travel coming and going as I please. There is rhythm in my creative process for each of my works. Initially, I deliberate on what I want to bring to life on the canvas since I spend hours producing that work so before I’m willing to put my time in the saddle, I need to be excited of what I am about to tackle. Once underway, I love spending time in my studio every single day. In the evenings, I often visit my work to assess that day’s progress taking in what I love and what I intend to tweak. And finally, I take great joy in completing my painting. Of course, finding a home through a commission, purchase, grant or donation brings me ultimate satisfaction. And then it’s on to the next work. My striving shines through here in that I require each work to present me with some new challenge that furthers my skill and confidence – this sense of continual improvement gives me a sense of progress, achievement, and therefore excitement for each new work. Meanwhile, all of this creative productivity would not be possible were it not for my focus on my health, which I support daily with a regimen of exercise, and healthy organic nutrition and supplementation, all as non-negotiables. I waited for a long time to pursue my artistic career and now I’m investing in my longevity to be able to pursue it over the longterm!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I have been putting paint to canvas since my early twenties. Originally born in Canada, I was drawn to make Phoenix my home for the beauty and sacred energy of the Sonoran Desert.
My current technique, ‘oil on canvas’ in the style of hyperrealism, serves my exacting nature well, reinforcing my philosophy that ‘God is in the detail’, thus bringing about a fully dimensional presence of my subject. My most recent works pay homage to the drama and beauty of our Sonoran Desert though I have an interest in a wide range of subject matter.
My works have earned awards, been represented by local galleries, jury selected for exhibitions, and are being held in collections in Canada and the USA. My favorite place is creating daily in my Scottsdale, Arizona studio.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
I was recently awarded a grant, alongside several artists, by the Carmody Foundation to produce a work, that in turn, was then donated to a non-profit for the subsequent auction of the artwork to raise funds for that non-profit. This program was a brilliant support to the community – both for the artists and the non-profits.
In the normal model, a non-profit solicits an artist for a donation of their work to an upcoming auction. Artists get approached often requiring their time and expense to produce a work while they themselves struggle to support themselves. The Carmody Foundation instead has created a model whereby they support the artist for producing the work, which then in turn, also produces funds for the non-profit. And in the process, they recognize the artist publicly including gallery representation and social media exposure, not to mention, the personal connection and community created by meeting the donors, the non-profits, and the artists several times through the process. It was a beautiful, heartwarming, and empowering approach that was an honor to participate in. This annual model is deeply supportive of the local community with a profound impact for all involved. Bravo to the Carmody Foundation!
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I’m learning as I go. What I notice to be most compelling is showing up with an authentic presence, and literally so. The most enriching aspect of gaining visibility is striking a balance between virtual and real presence. I’ve been banded together with a group of creatives where we regularly host ‘Salon Sundays’ in one of our townhomes, right in the heart of Arcadia, one of our vibrant communities in the Phoenix area. Many of us will participate in large and small markets / events where creatives showcase products, art works, and so forth. Many of us enjoy active relationships within our own community and to keep it real, a lot of our outreach on social media is directed at those who live here in Phoenix and Scottsdale. Our events are designed to be multi-sensory and multi-dimensional. The centerpiece of the ‘Salon Sunday’ is an informal workshop or demonstration throughout the day – past examples being a yoga breath work exercise, fashion styling, live artist painting, and at the start of the new year, vision boarding. The enticement is the sampling and shopping where each of us creatives present our products live – gorgeous ‘Lyt Active’ yoga pieces, organic ‘Stark Naked Skin Care’ and perfumes, handcrafted ‘Soul Carrier’ bags, ‘Vim + Vigor’ candles, ‘Sarah Pauli’ jewelry and many others. Who doesn’t love to shop?! And things break into warm socializing over a delicious buffet of fresh baked tortes, elixirs and healthy snacks. These regular community out reach events take some planning and preparation, yet are so worth the effort, keeping the online connections grounded in real life relationships made in these informal gatherings with old and new friends.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.AndreaMaw.com
- Instagram: @AndreaMawStudio
- Facebook: Andrea Maw Studio
