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

Alright, Maxine thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

There was no one moment, it was a very natural process. Growing up I was obsessed with drawing, storytelling, and experimenting with my own personal style. Creating made me feel alive. Luckily I had family and people in my life who noticed this, encouraged it and gave me space to explore it. When the time came to make choices around my direction in life, I always knew that I was meant to do something creative and entrepreneurial.

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’m Maxine Hoover, an artist and curator based in New York City. My journey began in fashion design, working behind the scenes designing with brands like Marc Jacobs and Alice and Olivia. While I loved the experience of working on a creative team, I felt a pull to pursue an entrepreneurial path. I started modeling and launched my own line of painted and embroidered jackets, then spent several years as a full-service consultant to artists and emerging brands before transitioning fully into my own art practice.
As a painter, I explore the relationship between the physical and spiritual worlds through life size figure studies and meditative dreamscapes. I paint with acrylics and oils on unconventional materials like large sails. My background in fashion as both a model and designer influences my work, from using renderings of poised female figures to tell powerful stories, to my fascination with different textiles and surfaces. I want my work to spark illumination and inspire bravery that comes from pushing boundaries and exploring the unknown.

I’m also known for my work as an art show curator. The first show I curated was titled Psychodramatic Landscapes, a solo show by oil painter Charles Compo who was my client in 2021. That year I met my partner Reid Stowe, who is also an artist and world famous sailor. I began collaborating on paintings together in a large studio we shared in Manhattan, all on large sails, and we would tell everyone that came to our studio the wild amazing stories behind our collaborations. This studio became our gallery, Landmark Art Space, where we hosted themed exhibitions almost every week. I successfully curated over 20 group shows there in just six months, each with 8-10 artists per show, so around 60 artists of all different styles and generations. We opened every week so hundreds of people would show up and come back next week. It was a lot of work to turn around shows that quickly, but a lot of fun too, a challenge. This year I recently had a solo exhibition at the MoRA museum in Jersey City, and am continuing to build my body of new works. I’m excited about some new projects I’ll be sharing later this year.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

It’s so rewarding to be able to turn my own visions and ideas into something beautiful that people can interact with. I also love collaborating with others and being a catalyst in connecting like-minded people together. It’s that feeling of creating something bigger than myself that turns into this beautiful shared experience. I love hearing from others that my work has inspired them to try something new or see the world differently.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I believe that whether someone considers themself an artist or not, the act of sharing creative work with the world is a brave thing to do and something to reward. Art collectors can help the ecosystem by purchasing works from emerging, living artists, and frequent galleries that feature new artists. If someone isn’t a buyer, they can still show up to an opening, bring friends, share feedback, opportunities and resources. It all goes back to building a supportive community and keeping that conversation going between the artist and their audience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.maxinehooverart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maxinehoover
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maxinehooverart

Image Credits

Oveck Reyes @oveck