Maggie Heinze is a fairy-princess from Queens, NYC. She documents her excursions into sherbet-colored dimensions with sweeping line-work, obsessive stippling and liberal use of bubbles. She is currently lending her talents to help build and decorate a gypsy caravan made of found, industrial parts. A project headed located in the wilderness of Long Island and headed up by internationally recognized master printer, Dan Welden . Like any proper Irish fairy-princess, Maggie enjoys guzzling beer and recounting obscene stories. In life and in her work, she straddles the line between whimsy and maturity.
Lets Hear what Maggie has to Say for herself:
If your art was music/food, what would it sound/taste like?
I like this question. If my art was food it would definitely be strawberry yogurt with raspberries and orange slices mixed in.
What is your favorite place in NYC for finding inspiration?
For me, inspiration comes and goes unplanned. Usually when I get an inkling of inspiration I am in a position of spacing out. This can happen on the subway, on my walk to the train, or sitting in Washington Square Park on a beautiful afternoon. In moments when my mind goes blank is when I unintentionally start considering my artwork.
What is your favorite petting zoo animal?
Goats. Definitely goats. Emus are too aggressive.
What is the best/worst advice you ever got from your mom?
Best advice: Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
What is your ideal breakfast?
Two hard boiled eggs chopped up and mixed with garlic chili sauce and a cup of strawberry yogurt. Mmmm and coffee.
What are your favorite materials to work with?
It depends. Lately I’ve been building and decorating a gypsy caravan with found industrial parts, and that has been really amazing. If I am illustrating, I generally like to work with pen and ink, watercolor, and anything else I think i need in order to finish the piece successfully.
What person influences your work the most?
Winsor McCay.
What artists/musicians/writers influence your work?
Winsor McCay, Murakami Haruki, Sigur Ros, and Iron and Wine.
What themes repeatedly haunt your work?
Swirls, twins, symmetry, and sweeping compositions.
Whose opinion influences you the most?
My mother’s opinion. She’s a smart lady.
What would you be if you weren’t an artist?
A writer maybe. Journalism.
What roles do escapism and reality play in your work?
Escapism is really important to the majority of my work. Reality, maybe no so much.
If you could only draw one thing thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Circles! You can do so much with circles.
If you were a bird, what kind would you be?
Hard question. Somewhere in between a love bird and a humming bird. Definitely not an Emu.
Thank you Maggie for playing along! See more of her work here , and see updates in her life and work on her blog
-Emma Onstott
