Today we’d like to introduce you to Marinda Maxfield.
Hi Marinda, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m a local artist, actor, director, and stage manager. I paint pictures on stage and on canvas. I also make jewelry for crystal lovers.
I first started doing theater in jr. high. I instantly fell in love with everything Shakespeare. I found that I wasn’t awful on stage. I decided to go into the field when I attended university after graduating from high school. I met my husband during my time at college and we married and moved to NYC. While there, my love deepened for local community theater. When we moved back to Utah, I had my 3 sons. When my youngest was 2, I started back working on the technical side of theater, as a stage manager, and then as a director. I directed my first major musical in 2010, and haven’t looked back.
My art career started suddenly. I was spending a lot of time taking care of my kids. I had always been interested in art in school, and had taken many art classes. i was teaching my children about painting. I found I reconnected with the process and started doing more “nerd” art. I enjoyed it, and for Christmas one year, my husband accidentally bought me oil paints. I devoured everything I could learn about the different ways of painting with oils. I found that people connected with my art and wanted to purchase paintings. That’s when I opened my own Etsy shop.
The jewelry started when I saw a crystal crown and wanted it for myself. I said, “hey, I can make that” and never looked back. I taught myself how to make bridal crowns, I loved working with customers for new ideas and have spent a lot of time perfecting the process. I love all crystals and have found that working with them is relaxing and inspiring.
I learned how to electroform in the same way. I saw a woman selling electroformed rings and I fell in love with them. I started researching how, and set up my own studio. I had many failures. The learning curve was quite the process. This was during COVID and while things were shut down, I spent a lot of my time perfecting the process. I started making rings and then found I enjoyed electroforming natural objects, especially leaves and bugs. From that, I’ve been able to create some fascinating art/jewelry pieces that are one of a kind.
Through all of this, I kept doing theatre. I average about 6-8 productions a year from directing to performing and everything in between. I started teaching kids at theatres and private schools and directing children’s productions. I was able to create a children’s Shakespeare program. I’ve taken Shakespeare scripts and edited them for time and content. Each script is about an hour and usually has about 20 kids involved. I’ve done Shakespeare camps that last for 2 weeks up to summer camps that last a couple of months. It’s always about teaching kids the fundamentals of theatre and Shakespeare. My proudest moment was being able to coach teenagers at the Utah High School Shakespeare Competition in Cedar City, home of the Utah Shakespeare Festival.
As a diverse artist, I spend most of my days working on different types of art. From oil painting to jewelry crafting, to directing. I am lucky I have a supportive community that values each of these creative parts of me.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Covid shutdowns taught me patience and frugality. My husband and I were both affected by having our main source of income shut down. While it was nice having the time to truly create, we were very worried about everything being gone for so long during 2020. Most of the in-person events being canceled meant it was a lean year at our house. When the world started opening up again, and we were able to continue back at festivals selling art, it was as if people were anxious to buy. And the resumption of theatre was such a special moment. The day I got the phone call saying we could continue with a production that had been on hold for over a year was truly a happy day.
Running an Etsy store is a lot of work. Directing a show is a lot of work. I spend most of my days split between several jobs. During a tech week to get a show open, Most of my energy is focused on what that production needs. But as I’ve come to realize, the work comes in waves and the best thing to do is to be open and willing to work whatever comes my way.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I create fantasy-themed jewelry. I use natural elements such as crystals, copper, and wood. I look to the fantasy worlds to support the feel for what I want to create. I love making unique and interesting pieces that people use as decoration or in meditation. Art can be usable as a tool, and not just making someone pretty
I use oil paints on canvas. I want to capture earth, color, and light. I have many muses but none more than the shape of the skull. I love the feel of brush, heavy laden with paint and the smooth flow of that paint on a canvas. I want to capture the sunrise or the sunset, or the perfect curve of bone.
I teach, inspire and create new worlds, new characters and hopefully help the world be a little more empathetic. On stage, I am a passionate actor. Backstage I am competent and thorough. But I truly excel when I can tell the story.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was born in Cache Valley, but spent my youth in the North Ogden Area. I was a classically shy introvert that read too many books, I had a few very close friends with who I would spend time in magical worlds, I grew up close to the mountains and would explore the world by hiking trails and 3 wheeling with my friends.
I am the youngest of 4 children. My parents became grandparents when I was 7. I became an aunt and a babysitter for my nieces and nephews who I adore, even if some have kids of their own and make me feel old. I wasn’t close with my siblings, as our ages were pretty different. I felt alone a lot of time and wanted attention. I think that is why I spent so much time creating stories in my head or reading.
Contact Info:
- Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ElementsOfMagik
- Instagram: @elements_of_magik
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElementsOfMagik/
Image Credits
Centerpoint Legacy Theater
Marinda Maxfield
