We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Molly McGuire a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Molly, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I’m originally from Southern Ontario – I grew up in several small towns east of Toronto. My parents moved around a lot. They met at Art College, so there was always art and art supplies all over the house. I knew how to use a paintbrush before I know how to use cutlery. Growing up in these small towns, my salvation was a carnival that would set up behind my house in Trenton every year. – I would visit the carneys when they were setting up, breaking down as well as running the show. They got to know me. They let me ride the rides for free and taught me how to win at all the games. That was the first time I ever felt like I fit in and it’s the reason why I paint carnival art. My other sense of salvation was knowing that when this was all over that I was going to art school! I suffered through high school knowing that one day I would just be able to learn to draw, paint and use my creativity.
Then something really strange happened. My mom was re-married to a successful but uncreative person who did not see eye to eye with us being artists or going to art school and all of a sudden I was told that I would not be going to art college because they refused to let me take out a student loan – which may or may not have been a bad thing in the end… but I didn’t care. I was devastated. My mother told me that if I wanted to go into the arts that it had to be graphic arts so that I would make a living at it. She enrolled me in an affordable 2 year sign painting program, which I’m very glad that I took now because they do not teach hand lettering anymore in school. At the time It turned out to be the most obsolete career path I could have chosen because vinyl signs had just come out and nobody wanted to pay people to paint signs anymore. Once I realized that I basically ran away with the proverbial circus – I joined a rock band and traveled and lived out of my van for the next 15 years or so – which brought me originally to New Orleans, then to L.A. where, after touring the continent countless times as well as Europe, I finally had enough. Broke, sick and tired I began my journey of paining circus banners. For money, I had been doing lot of set painting in Los Angeles. Movie productions throw away so many art supplies after the productions wrap – I started collecting used canvas drop cloth and house paint to create paintings – which very quickly morphed into circus banners just by the sheer nature of the available materials combined with my skill set.
I quit my band, sold everything I owned and started making my way back across the country from Los Angeles headed for New Orleans – on a wing and a prayer – and circus banners. If I got tired of driving I would pull over on some desert road, set up my easel that was basically just 2 two by fours with a piece of plywood screwed to it, prop it up against my van and paint circus banners. I had friends with places to stay at all over the country as a result from years of touring, so I was able to stop and stay with friends all along the way, and astonishingly – actually sold enough circus banners to finance the trip back to New Orleans. Once I landed here I immediately got a job managing an artist’s community in the Bywater neighborhood. I actually took the job because it came with a free apartment and art studio, but the job proved to be a major life asset. I learned so much working there and met so many other artists – it was an amazing experience that helped me focus on life after music and helped me hone my skills as a painter to the point where I was finally able to set out on my own again – this time as a visual artist.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a self-taught artist. My only formal training is sign painting, which I went to school for in Toronto, Canada. I create circus banners from up-cycled materials salvaged from movie sets, such as canvas drop cloth and house paint. I have formulated my on version of water-based sign paint for striping and lettering. My subjects are generally based on folklore, legends and urban myths.
Several years ago I got a call from American Horror Story’s art department to come down and look at some circus banner artwork that they were having trouble with. They had artists from Los Angeles that were trying to emulate the look of a vintage circus banner and were unable to nail the vibe. I found myself next the the art director and set designer pouring over old photos of circus banners that had been created by Neiman Eisman – my favorite banner painter of all time and they asked me if I could paint like that. I told them yes, although I had never tried and ran home super excited to finally have a reason to cop the style. I brought a painting of the Bearded Lady back the next day – they snapped a photo and texted it to Ryan Murphy who said – that’s it!!! Get her to do all of them NOW!!!
I am about to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of this project in conjunction with my grand opening of “Funhouse Studio” located uptown in New Orleans.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I toured in bands for years. I drove, booked and managed my bands. This is extremely conducive to working the art festival circuit which is a huge component of what makes my career lucrative. I prefer touring as an artist. For one, there’s no band! I’ve grown to love traveling by myself, setting everything up by myself – and getting to stay set up for several days at a time. What band gets to do that?
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
I have been struggling with the idea of starting my own gallery. I live about an hour away from New Orleans – I bought a house on the North Shore, built an art studio and live out in the middle of nowhere with my husband. It’s amazing! I get a lot done. The only problem is – there’s no clientele out here. Covington, LA (the nearest town) has restaurants filled with my art. People here love to look at it but nobody buys it. It’s a very conservative place. New Orleans is my market. Many of my paintings are New Orleans themed and people who live and travel there are open to buying art that looks nothing like anything that they’ve ever seen before. One hour away is enough to separate you from your core audience. I don’t have the financial resources to open a gallery on Royal St., so I went ahead and rented a studio-style apartment uptown and am getting ready to announce my grand opening for this coming weekend right before Mardi Gras. I’m just going to open a showroom where people can come and view my art. I can do appointments and open house events. On a wing and a prayer!!! Open house will be from 4-7pm starting “Muses” Thursday, Feb 8th though the 12th. Wish me luck!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.magwireart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mollymagwire/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/magwireart
- Youtube: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=818576438178341&set=vb.200060813363243&type=2&theater
Image Credits
I take all of my own photos.
