Welcome, Maddie Grace Maierhofer! Maddie Grace is the latest talent to join the Well + Wonder ranks and we are counting down the days until her grand debut Monday, October 16th at noon. Maddie Grace is an abstract expressionist painter with a zest for life and paintings to match. Her process is an amalgamation of dancing, loud music, spilled coffee, and thrown paint. To Maddie Grace, painting is the perfect union of an intellectual challenge and creative outlet which has continued to motivate and inspire her. Art and design have always been Maddie Grace’s greatest passions. Born and raised in Carrollton, Georgia, she grew up in beautiful spaces curated by her mother and grandmother as a child creativity was encouraged and celebrated. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Art and a minor in Art History from Georgia Southern University. She now resides in Savannah, Georgia where she is a full-time artist. Maddie Grace's inaugural collection is something special (all of y'all looking for something large...we've got you!) but as much as it pains us we still have a few days until the work is officially live. Until then, continue reading all about this talented artist in our latest blog post Pardon Me, Maddie Grace Maierhofer.
What is currently on your nightstand?
Many special trinkets decorate my nightstand. I have a white ceramic bowl with putti heads and a scalloped lip, a college ceramics project. An empty skull decanter working as a bookend. Staffordshire figures from my grandmother’s house, we actually traded one of my paintings for. A book on the, oh so fabulous, Peggy Guggheniem. And a Foo dog lamp my mom gave me for Christmas. My collection makes me happy.
Who is your biggest influence as an artist and why?
Teil Duncan, I first began following her on instagram when I was fifteen , Instagram was fairly new, and it was so cool to see a young female emerging. I had grown up surrounded by male artists who had incredible careers, so it had never occurred to me that it wasn’t feasible to be an artist, but to SEE a young female artist so accessible, on my phone was truly inspiring! I have loved watching her style evolve and her career grow.
Tell us about your childhood. What is the most memorable moment as a young person?
The first memory that strikes me is having tea parties in my grandmother’s backyard, inside the pink princess tent. I’m not sure if it was the sunlight shining through the pink tent or just my memories but I can see us clinking cups with this pink haze surrounding us.
If you could only have one supply in your art studio, what would it be and why?
Haha, I have a huge container of Elmer’s Glue which I mix with paint. It adds a thickness to the paint while making it a little transparent. That may be a huge faux pas in the art world, but I have always mixed things I wasn’t supposed to.
What is your favorite room in your house? Describe it.
The kitchen. It is where the gathering happens, and typically the loudest room in the house. Not to mention it is basically an extension of the art room, I get to create things people (hopefully) enjoy!
What is your biggest score online?
During the Pandemic, I bought a French couture dress at a major sale. Now that I think about it, it may have been a bizarre purchase since the world was on literal lockdown, and where was I going? .... It’s being saved for a gala or fabulous art opening.
What is the benefit of buying art through a collective? What do you recommend for those that are new to buying original art?
The beauty of a collective is that the hard part of finding art is already done. And if you are buying multiple pieces it is most likely they are going to coordinate since they have been curated by the experts.
If you have the entire day to spend in an art museum, which one and why?
Muse D'orsay is one I hold close to my heart, along with Gerogre Pompidoiu and the Rodin Museum. My mom and I were in Paris about a year ago and saw these three. If you have only one day, you could definitely hit the highpoints of each, but a week would be ideal.
If you were a lipstick color would you be red, pink, or clear and why?
Red, all day everyday. It’s a classic, bright and bold!
I can never get on a plane without....
A cocktail. I am not a relaxed flier.
How did you get into the world of art?
I have always been surrounded by art, my parents encouraged creativity. We were regulars at the High Museum and the Fox in Atlanta, multiple art festivals, and the local community theater. At my grandmother’s house we were artists making sculptures of salt dough, or architects building gingerbread houses, or painters beginning our career.
What do you do to relax?
I love the beach and am fortunate to live only 25 minutes away. The beach has always been a place where ideas seem to flow well. Have a feeling that's the case since it has always been where I feel an immense closeness to God.
When do you get the biggest surge of inspiration?
The procrastinator in me would say before a deadline.
Prediction for the Color of 2024?
A deep navy.
What is your idea of a date night? Dinner and a movie or dancing all night?
I love a date over cocktails, but there is nothing better than dancing all night with the girls!
Tell us about your favorite painting that you have created.
Helen is my latest obsession, but it certainly changes. My mom has a marsh over her bed that I still look at and am impressed by several years later. I will say I can still surprise myself with what I am able to do.
One piece of advice for buying original art?
If you love the piece it will match with your space. The first painting I bought was a pastel EMYO floral, and I can assure you pastel anything is not my typical go to. However, I admire it everyday, and it has completed every space I have hung it in.
