An Interview with MaryJo McGraw

In the interview that follows, MaryJo shares the more personal side of her life as an artist, teacher and author, and offers us a glimpse into what inspires, motivates and influences her art and life.

H.G. When did you discover that art was important to you?

M.M. Art has always been in my life. Beginning very early in my life, my parents encouraged me to draw, cut and paste. I was a very shy child, and these were things I could do by myself in my room. There were several relatives who were artists, so I saw immediately that art was both a possible and viable lifestyle. Being the only girl in my family, when I was growing up, pursuing art seemed a very suitable way to make a living — up until marriage, of course (I say this with some eye-rolling sarcasm, since this was the mind-set of my generation). I took many classes in art, when and wherever I could. I studied and read everything I could get my hands on. My goal was simply to be an artist and to make a living making art. However, I never really focused on what kind of art or how to make that living. I was very naïve, which was probably my saving grace — not knowing made anything possible.

H.G. Did you study art in school?

M.M. Basically, I’m a self-educated artist. I did attend California State Fullerton for a while and pursued the community-college road also. But I never got the requisite degree and left higher education for a not-very-exciting job at a bank.

H.G. How did you get from the bank to your current position as one of the preeminent stamp artists?

M.M. At the time, I saw the bank as my way to make money and keep taking classes. I had always led an art-and-craft existence through my late teens and early 20s — and that never changed even after I married and had my daughter. I worked on a variety of art/craft projects for my daughter’s schools, and even sold things “on the side” that I was making — providing a nice extra income.

In the late 1980s, a friend opened a stamp shop, and I began working and teaching stamping classes for her. I learned about the stamp business very quickly.

H.G. Your reputation in the stamping world grew quickly, didn’t it?

M.M. Elaine Madrid, one of the owners of Museum of Modern Rubber (MOMR) at that time, asked me to help out at a stamp show. That was it — soon I was demonstrating at shows all over the country, received my first book deal, and started teaching at conventions and stores. Later, I began working for MOMR and JudiKins

H.G. Tell us about your art.

M.M. I think people would be surprised to find that my personal artwork is quite different from what I do in books and DVD’s. Subtle and raw are the words I generally use to describe my work, especially on canvas. I like building in hidden pictures and textures, then covering them with raw brushstrokes and drippings so you must look into them deeply. Jewelry design is my big love, though. I have made a few pieces this past year for family and friends and wish I had the time to do more.

H.G. Does your art convey a message?

M.M. I try not to think too much about what I am expressing in my art. I am more concerned in what the viewer pulls from it and sees in it. That’s the part that I find truly interesting. Too many artists seem to get wrapped up in themselves and their personal motivation for creating. To me, creating is a need I have — and I believe everyone on the planet has this need in one way or another. So, thinking about why I make art is not only boring to me, it’s irrelevant — for me, it must be done! Truthfully, I would rather watch an artist work than ask why they work.

H.G. Where do you get your ideas?

M.M. My images and ideas come from music, books, movies, nature, magazines — anything and everything around me. I am easily amused and infused. Of all of these influences, however, music has been the most powerful. I always have music on when I am working — it keeps me focused. In my little studio, I have one of those 50-CD players that I set to randomly play a wide range of music — everything from old punk to bluegrass.

H.G. Do you have a set process for creating?

M.M. For books, classes and articles, the process is dictated by the deadline. I hate to admit it, but the closer to the deadline, the more creative I become. As for my “personal” work, I love to take my time — doing a layer of paint, then looking at it for a day or two — sanding it back down, then adding another layer or image. This can go on for weeks, which is why I usually do not sell my work. It has the luxury of time built into it, which to me is very precious. Quite often, just when I think a piece is finished, I’ll look at it again. Then I scrape it down and start all over.

H.G. So, you rarely sell your paintings and originals.

M.M. My work is mainly sold through my books and DVD’s. This way, I get to keep most of the originals. I do sell the odd piece now and then at shows or events.

H.G. Share with us, if you will, your thoughts on teaching — what you give and what you gain.

M.M. I try to teach good basic techniques that can be used for all kinds of projects. Many of these techniques are methods I have found and many are old ideas revamped for new products and styles. I try to instill the thought that creativity is all around us, and we as artists need to use it uniquely and consistently so we do not lose our personal vision. These are hard concepts to teach — to instill in someone who has never had an art class. So I often disguise the lesson as fun. Once my students become addicted to the feeling of empowerment we get from creating, it becomes easier to convince people to keep going.

H.G. As they say, you are what you teach, aren’t you?

M.M. Yes. My life would be a wreck if I did not create every day. Through the worst personal moments in my life, working on a piece of art has kept me in a positive mind frame. Going to a convention and demonstrating or talking to students in class inspires me. Art takes me out of myself. I think the best thing art can do for anyone is to expand thought and creativity into the tangible. Many people have thoughts and ideas that are never expressed. How sad is that? I believe artists are on this earth to make things that are beautiful, crazy, disturbing and inspiring.

I try to get people to use their own vision — which can be difficult in this world. It is so easy to be influenced by the media that promotes art as a business. I find that most students do not focus on their own style, but endeavor to create a look that has become the norm. This disturbs me as an artist and teacher — but I do realize it is part of the path as an artist — to first imitate then create.

We all must stop making judgments of other artists’ work and just view it as their art. There is a marketing theory that no product is really seen until it is a year old. I truly believe the same is true with art. It seems that until a look or style is around for a while, it is not accepted as art. I say, accept it all as art — the new and the different, the strange and unusual, the lovely and the troubling. That is my philosophy. That is what I try to teach and that is what I try to live.

Harriet Gamble is a free-lance writer from Indianapolis, Indiana.