Virginia Maitland
Maitland is one of Colorado's most highly esteemed master
colorist. Her luxurious colors entice everyone who has an interest and
love for art. She has had solo shows in New York City,
Atlanta, Dallas, Santa Fe, Aspen, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Denver and is in many
prestigious museum and private collections.
I recently had the amazing opportunity to visit and
interview the artist in her Boulder studio!
Favorite art memory: Living in Italy, just outside of Florence, seeing all of the
paintings, and traveling: that was something I had always wanted to do. It
would be hard to pinpoint what I liked the most. Paulo Uccello is one of my
favorites. I liked seeing the skewed perspectives in the Sienese
paintings, before they had developed Renaissance perspective. That had a lot of
influence on my artwork. All the pinks and turquoises, When I started to
actually see these paintings I was able to see how Uccello was starting to use perspectives. I
liked seeing how the Renaissance painting era developed.
You have lived and traveled several places, what is your
favorite city and why? Well, I love New York. I love Venice too. For me, being
from the east coast, seeing the museums, that was my education. I went to
school in Philadelphia but travelled to New York frequently. The Metropolitan
is over the top fabulous.
The first thing I do when I go to the Met is go right to the El
Greco’s. He painted figures that are so different than those painted by anyone
else. They are eerie and beautiful, and then there is the strangeness of the
pallet he used for the figures.
When did you decide you wanted to be an artist? When I was in 3rd
grade my art teacher told my mother, “ you need to get her into an art class."
I started to do oil paintings and still lifes when I was 12
Early paintings age 12
When I look at your paintings, I see a feminine quality
about them in the elegant designs and brilliant colors. Do you believe being a
female artist has had an influence on your paintings? And If so how?
Not really. I guess I can’t say that because when I was in
school, women artists were not considered important. I used to build my canvases
in art school in the 60s and all of the guys would offer to do it for me. It was before the feminist
movement. Almost all of my teachers were males, and I always thought of it as a
male dominated field. I don’t think that one can make a painting masculine or
feminine. In the 70s there were artist like Elizabeth Murray, she did very
powerful shaped pieces. I really admired them.
What is your artistic training? I went to the
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia.
It was a classical, traditional art school. It was all
focused on painting, sculpture, figure drawing, art history, materials and
techniques, lettering and perspective. Thomas Eakins was one of the teachers
at the Academy in the nineteenth-century; he was the first one to let women in
the studio to paint the figure.
How do you describe your art to people who’ve never seen
it before? That is a very difficult question. The main question I
get is, “did you have something in mind before you did that?” My paintings
are more about the atmosphere and light, I love long shadows at the end of
the day. I see forms in nature I want to use: all of the changes in the sky,
and disasters of nature. Natural disasters are unbelievably beautiful, although
it is sad that it happens. I like volcanoes too. It’s more about
absorption of a feeling. Looking at something and absorbing the way it feels to
me. I’m not at all interested in sitting there and being a plein air
painter.
However, I did a lot of pastels when I lived in Italy. I
was fascinated by the shape of the landscape and the changes of the seasons;
the poppies and Iris fields defined the shapes of the landscape. In the fall
everything was golden.
How do you persevere and stay inspired during what has
been a very challenging art market in Denver?
You just have to keep making art, keep painting, and be
completely enmeshed and absorbed in your own work, because if you stop creating
and think about what isn’t working, you would probably quit painting. I
never thought I was going to be selling my work; I became a painter because I
loved it. When I had some success I built a studio. It’s very different
now, but I never stop having ideas, and I never stop looking and loving art. It
is so easy for me to spend a whole day in a museum and not get tired. There is
just so much to see and be inspired by.
I don’t think there is a lot of truly new work out there.
I think everything is influenced by something else. If an artist thinks they
are completely original they are kidding themselves. When I started using
liquid paint, I didn’t know who Helen Frankenthaler was. It's kind of weird to
fall onto something when other people were already doing it.
Tell me about starting the group, Front Range Women in the
Visual Arts?
It was a huge thing in the 70s for women to get their work
shown and taken seriously. There were few women professors at CU. We helped get
the Art department to hire female teachers at CU, and they were great. Now
there are a lot of women professors. The group is still active, but in a
different way.
How has living in Boulder influenced your artwork? Colorado – I
moved here in 1970 – just blew my mind. I had never seen so much beautiful
light. Living in Philadelphia and the east coast, the light is more diffused.
From my studio, I get a lot of light. When I was in school, I was told
"you only want constant north light." Then coming out here I was
mesmerized by the clear crisp light.
Who are some of your favorite artists and
influences? Kandinsky – I like so many – Elizabeth
Murray, Eva Hesse, on and on.
Francis Bacon, everyone was influenced by him when I was
in school. When I tell people that, they don’t quite understand until I point
out his use of color and space. Turner is a big influence. I’ve always looked
at Clyfford Still. Ensor, Soutine. Bonnard.
Where do your ideas come from for your paintings? Inspiration doesn’t
come until you are working. There were so many spontaneous accidents that
turned into amazing learning experiences.
What is your physical and mental process? Because my work is
so physical, it is a mind body thing. Everything in my mind flows and merges with
the physicality of the way I work. The way the paint moves, the chance
reticulation, how the paint hangs on to itself, is all very physical. It will
change right there in that process, just like nature. I can only see it as the
things that are in my mind that I love. Lights, shadows, colors in nature:
translated from my mind onto the canvas. When you are really making a painting
and are completely absorbed, it is working so well you don’t have to think
about it. For me, this is being in the moment completely.
Over your long career who has been the audience for your
paintings? It has to be someone who has some kind of knowledge of
paintings. I don’t think they are just decorative. If they were just decorative
I’d sell more. I think my paintings make people think. I think the audience has
to have some understanding of art history. My audience tends to be people who
know about the history of art and collectors who have a love of modern art.
Your work was recently featured on a 60 ft billboard in
Denver, how was that? It was fun! I loved seeing it, I loved having it, and I
took pictures and sent them out to people. I loved people’s comments. When I
sent it out to friends all over the country, their reactions were the best
part.
How is your work relevant to the contemporary art
world? I feel it is up-to-date in terms of painting. Most people
talk about painting as if it is dead, which is ridiculous. It is just not what
the critics are looking at. I can only do what I can do. Most of the trends are just a flash in
the pan, anyway. What you finally realize, the longer you are in the art world,
is you can only do what is meaningful to you.
poster from first show
What is the most important part of your studio? When I first
designed it, the skylights and the floor. For me I love being in the space, I
am in here all the time. The only other place I spend time is in
the kitchen.
vibrant paint spilled on table!
What is your favorite thing about your studio? It breathes and has
so much light. If I walk into any other part of the house I don’t get the same
feeling. I love playing music. I play music all of the time.
Favorite Color: I have to choose one? Fuchsia
If you could give any advice to emerging artists what
would it be? To just paint and not think about survival or being
famous, because it is really just about making your own work and finding your
voice.
Come by and check out Virginia Maitland's paintings!
-Lisa
