Today we’d like to introduce you to Mollie Maxine.
Hi Mollie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in the woods of Clayton, WI. Within those acres of pines, I was forced to exercise my over-active imagination, often utilizing drawing and painting to communicate and express myself, much like children do. I found out quickly that I didn’t want art-making to be lost to my childhood, so I went on to study fine arts both at the University of Wisconsin Stout and University of Minnesota Duluth. I also have a background as a special education aide and youth care counselor. Personally and professionally, I’ve implemented my skills as an artist and effective communicator to make meaningful connections with people and the world around me.
When it comes to my work, I focus on the concept of time and how the nature of storytelling tends to defy it. My dreaming life is a very important factor in the way I interpret reality, as I have described my dreams to be vivid and almost sparkling. Working with acrylic, I enhance the aged features of characters and atmospheres to give them a playful and timeless quality. I have multiple murals on display throughout the Twin Ports region and is a part of the creative team that makes up the Duluth Art Institute. I also enjoy hiking, kayaking, journaling, and painting in my home studio.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Before formal education, I have always considered the human experience to be one of our greatest teachers. Although I went to school for fine arts, I found that the richest knowledge I have gained as an individual has been through hard life lessons, as well as through the collection of characters I have met along the way. At one point, I quit studying fine arts and began bartending full-time. Being only twenty years old, I was never fully exposed to the gritty blue collar working class that spilled into the pub after a hard day’s work. I met some odd and end characters who inspired a collection of work later on in life. I went on to be a caregiver, a special education aide, care counselor, and am now currently employed with the Duluth Art Institute. I have been exposed to many ways and walks of life, immersing myself in the struggles and small victories of the people and places around me. I found it to be nearly impossible to pay the bills with my art alone, so I learned quickly that maintaining a full-time job (sometimes three at a time) was the only way to keep a roof over my head. And to pay for canvases and paint, of course. I am grateful for my experiences, as they have taught me how to be a hard worker, a compassionate leader, and to always find the silver lining. I’ve learned a lot. One, living an artistic life isn’t restricted to being an “artist” alone. And two, without change or struggle, there is no growth, as an artist or a human being.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Right before the beginning of Covid, I was hired to paint a mural at VIP Pizza in Superior, WI. They gave me entire artistic freedom to paint the four walls. Exciting, yes. However, I learned quickly that I had bitten off more than I could chew, as I only had experience in painting on canvas. Not to mention, a global pandemic had swept the nation. I slowly but surely finished the piece, and the feeling I had upon completion was ethereal, and it left me wanting more. I was out of work, like most, so I took my difficult situation and chose to look at it as an opportunity for adventure and growth. For the entire Summer of 2020, I traveled in my Jeep, lived out of a tent, and painted murals in the sun around the Twin Ports area for some income. For as tragic as the pandemic has been for us as a society, I believe it has taught me some many valuable lessons regarding my self-worth, as well as the confidence and drive I now have as an artist. I continue to choose gratitude in this time. For my health, and the ability, freedom and growing support, I have from the community to continue to create.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Aaron Dandrea – owner of VIP Pizza Superior (where I painted first mural) Christina Woods – Executive Director of the Duluth Art institute, my boss
Amy Varsek – Exhibitions Director, Duluth Art Institute (artist), coworker
Aurora Webster – Engagement and Development Manager, Duluth Art Institute (artist)
Emma Spooner – Education and Program Coordinator, Duluth Art Institute, coworker
Liz Axberg – Community Outreach Coordinator, Duluth Art Institute, coworker
Kyle Salveson -Front of House Manager, Zeitgeist Restaurant and Cafe, boss (poet and musician)
Jessica Johnson – owner of Johnson’s Store and Anchor’s End Campground (mural location)
Tony Priolo – owner of private residence in Minneapolis, MN (mural location, and my biggest cheerleader)
Jerome Fischer – owner of The Back Alley (another one of my mural locations)
Aaron Tank – creator of magazine “The Vessel” (featured me in September issue)
Lincoln Park District – voting my mural favorite mural in Summer of 2021
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: Mollie Maxine
- Facebook: Mollie Maxine
