Interview: HEIDI MAIERS

I got a chance to look at some interesting sculpture 2 weeks ago at the website of Heidi Maiers. She has some very interesting work, especially the head of Bela Lugosi, the early movie star that played Count Dracula, the most famous of all the vampire characters.

I interviewed Heidi last week:
“My mother is a professional oil painter and I suppose her interest in art had rubbed off on the rest of us kids. It’s just always been a hobby that I’ve enjoyed.”

Do you remember the first art works you did that you felt satisfied you?
“I don’t think there is such a thing – it’s what drives me to learn from past works and make improvements. That’s a good thing I think because, if I were satisfied, I wouldn’t try so hard.”

Do you have an area of specialization?
“Mainly portrait sculpture.”

What kinds of subject matter do you prefer?
“Any and all people. I am particularly drawn to the art of the Japanese culture and will sometimes sculpt a giesha or sumo.”

What will be your next project?
“Right now, I’m on vacation and doing a quick self portrait. I like to do one every 5 or 10 years for practice, and as a benchmark to compare progress made from previous self portraits. I’m also working on a series of figure sculptures of ordinary women doing ordinary things.”

Do you ever use exotic materials or techniques?
“Not really. If something doesn’t work, I invent techniques to successfully resolve whatever it is I’m trying to accomplish. Every piece is an experiment and I am always trying out new materials and processes and adapting them for my purposes.”

What kind of tools/light/studio do you prefer?
“Anything goes, any object can be used as a tool. My studio used to be the garage, but this is Arizona and it was just too darn hot. I converted the spare bedroom and now have a comfortable workplace. Any kind of light is acceptable – I just require there to be some kind, and I like to be able to either move the light all around, or move and turn the piece all around under the light. It’s important to change the forms and shadows, as well as the angles and perspectives while you work in 3D.”

What are your sources of inspiration?
“Surfing the internet and studying works of the really good sculptors out there (of which there are many). I got the opportunity to visit Europe for a month in 1977 with a school group and seeing the Italian sculpture had a huge impact on my interest in sculpting.”

What artists do you admire?
“All of them.”

What was the toughest project/commisssion you’ve encountered?
“The bust of Bela. It’s hard enough doing posthumous portraits, but trying to make a lifelike bust from grainy old movies and photographs that span 40 years was a nightmare. To top that, the client that commissioned him was a perfectionist and was never satisfied with the bust and continued to send change requests for an entire year (in broken English which left me guessing as to the interpretation of the changes). In the end, he never even paid for the bust, but I was fortunate enough to find another collector who was more than happy to pick it up. Since then, I now require a non refundable deposit – hard lesson to learn.”

Have you gotten any interesting stories about exhibitions?
“I’ve done 5 local shows. All have had rain (remember, this is Arizona!). I did have quite a bit of interest at all of them, but people who attend shows want to take something home that day and even though they say “I definitely will be calling you soon”, not one person has ever followed through on that statement and placed an order for a commission. Fortunately I have a real job to pay the bills and sculpting is just my hobby.”

Have a look at Heidi’s webpage – she has several pictorial records of works in progress that are very informative as to her style or working.

Daniel Ferris