We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jeannie McGuire. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jeannie below.

Jeannie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I have a body of work that I refer to as People in Industry. It’s a series of figurative drawings and paintings inspired by early-to-mid-20th century photographs. A great project within this series is the Machinists, a collection of 32 paintings of individual men. My reference photo is a 40’s-50’s era black and white film photo of a company of workers posed in front of a brick fabricating shop. The subject immediately drew my attention, as did the quality of the film-based photograph. Viewing the men through my magnifying loupe reveals amazing detail, and a range of personalities and attitudes that are just the fuel I desire to create story based art.

My interest in this historical timeframe and my desire to create this body of work is a culmination of my reading preferences, acquired photos, and family stories.

I love reading memoirs and non-fiction by international authors. I’ve gained insight into various lives from all over the world as well as the history of industries, businesses and governances related to humanity.

Learning through other peoples stories couples well with my art exhibition endeavors in my hometown of Pittsburgh PA, itself a one time industrial leader. I’ve had a unique opportunity to connect with the regions heritage by referencing archival images from Rivers of Steel, as well as flea markets, friends and family.

Much of what I’ve read and the photos I’ve come across relate in some degree to the time period of my grandparents and parents, born 1901 and 1927 respectively. Stories of daily life within the neighborhoods and industries were told through the years and I was always intrigued. I’d try to visualize each person during the various timelines, which address went with who and doing what.

Jeannie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a Pittsburgh PA based artist. I started out in the commercial art and photography industry and after years of a corporate career I started my own freelance graphic design and photography business. Incorporating a lot of fine art into my client’s projects led to a complete transition into fine art and figurative/portrait commissions. I co-ran a co-op art gallery in Pittsburgh’s cultural district, instructed figurative design art workshops across the US and a few in Europe, exhibited in numerous shows, won many awards and I continue to do what I love best, to create fine art figurative works.

The organic shapes of figures and the complexities of human nature interest me more than any other subject when it comes to creating art. My goal has been to paint stories, thoughts, feelings, situations and so forth. Even if my portrayals are made-up they are inevitably images others can relate to.

I transitioned into an intuitive and somewhat abstract painter through experimentation. I was on a quest to create backgrounds that would in some way play an invaluable secondary yet supportive role to the main subject. I started creating irregular lines and structures as a way to guide a viewer’s attention to the subject’s gestures and stance. Pairing linear and organic opposites opened up new freedoms for me. In a way it was like combining graphic design and figurative drawing.

Continuing the idea of guiding the viewer’s attention appealed to me. My brush strokes became harmonious with my thoughts. Creating a fleeting emotion or a telling expression appeared more alive than I could have planned.

I choose photo references or drawings that make an impression on me in some way. These impressions become my starting point and guide the design, size and dimension of each piece. The painting progresses as my inner story develops and changes. Knowing when it’s finished is more or less a feeling. A sure validation comes with the test of time.

My style and approach to painting are intuitive and unique to me making each piece a challenge. With these challenges come hard work, risk and growth. I couldn’t have had one without the other; it’s made me the artist I am today.

– “In order to keep my art fresh, I challenge myself with a question: Is it predictable or unpredictable? An otherwise spontaneous and uninhibited painting can come to a halt of indecision many times. To embrace this indecision and unknown with an unpredictable approach is risky and difficult. Yet it is exciting and creative, and more often than not, well worth it.”

Have you ever had to pivot?

Being self-employed has been wonderful for me overall. I’ve been lucky with many successes, clients, award recognitions, invitation workshops and exhibitions. I’ve traveled and met so many people. The hard realities though are the times in between. A downturn in the economy, a change in exhibition opportunities, or the everyday workings of business can be difficult to juggle. Plus, being ones own boss can be both a benefit and a deterrent. Life has a way of moving into the creative space real quick and time creating can go dormant for a spell.

In 2010 the downturn in the economy unfortunately coincided with the closure of a co-op gallery I jointly ran. For 10 wonderful years the gallery provided a permanent exhibition space for the members, feature exhibitions, workshops, figure drawing and gallery crawls.

Finding myself with no concrete connection to the public and a lack of income I felt the weight of indecision. I knew in my gut that I had to think differently and look beyond my regional presence. I researched watercolor exhibition opportunities in cities where I had family and finally found an opportunity in San Francisco. A chain of events unfolded from there – an award, a feature article in a national art magazine, a painting acceptance and top award in New York City, plus multiple international magazine articles and ten plus years of awards, workshops and travels

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

10-year intervals seem to bring change and the 2020 pandemic brought another downturn and personally hit me harder than the first one. I decided to repeat my strategy of rethinking, only this time to expand closer to home with my Industrial Series. I reconnected with Rivers of Steel and spent a year creating new work for an exhibition and workshop.

My current and future plans are to work on the array of paintings I have in my studio and to seek out meaningful exhibition venues to share my figurative works with the public

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jeanniemcguire.com
• Other: jdm@jeanniemcguire.com