Maxine Thirteen
Photos provided by Maxine Thirteen
Website: www.maxinethirteen.com
5(ish) Questions is a chance to discover and learn about St. Louis Creatives, Community Champions, and, well, just interesting people in and around our city. It's a deep dive into what they love and where their passion lies. It's an opportunity for all of us to see our region from a different perspective. This written interview is a peek into their lives and their outlook on St. Louis.
Meet Maxine Thirteen, a self-taught figurative painter focused on oil portraiture, blending vintage and macabre elements to explore themes like femininity and social satire. She is the Art Director of 31Art Gallery and a full-time creator. Maxine emphasizes the importance of in-person support for artists and believes in maintaining a balanced life while expanding and refining her skills.
Hi, Maxine! Tell us a little about yourself…
I’m a self-taught figurative painter. My oil paintings focus on portraiture and utilize inspiration from old films, vintage advertisements, and pin-ups to explore femininity, social satire, and introspection. My work often incorporates macabre or unusual elements into glamorous imagery to simultaneously entice and disturb the viewer. Someone once reviewed my art as “creepy, but pretty,” and that seems like a pretty solid summation of my work.
I’ve created art for as long as I can remember, but I started focusing primarily on oil painting around six years ago. Since the beginning of 2019, I’ve displayed my oil paintings in numerous spaces throughout Saint Louis and beyond. I’m currently a resident artist at 31art Gallery in the Northampton neighborhood of St. Louis City, and I’m also represented by Union Gallery in the New Orleans French Quarter. Since 2021, I’ve served as the art director at 31art Gallery, where I organize quarterly group exhibitions and help plan gallery events throughout the year.
What drives you, what gets you out of bed every morning?
This is a tough one. Sometimes I feel incredibly driven, and other times I have no drive at all. I think I maintain my drive best when I don’t take too much of a break between projects. I love the feeling when the first thought I have when I wake up is: I gotta get back down to that painting. But the only way to get to that feeling is to just START. Unfortunately, that’s a step that isn’t always as easy as I’d like it to be. If I can drown out my inner critic just long enough to get started, the process will take over my attention and being in that flow will get me excited to continue working. I think part of my drive comes from wanting to prove myself wrong, but another large factor is that I’m happier when I’m making things. I just have to continually remind myself of that.
What moment or decision has most profoundly changed the trajectory of your life or career?
Back in 2018, I had been trying to change jobs for a while. I was in a rut, frustrated, and unsure of what I wanted to do next. In response to some long rant I was on involving dead-end jobs, awkward interviews, and bad management, my husband said to me: I don’t think you’re ever going to be happy working for someone else. Honestly, I was annoyed by that response at the time, probably because I knew how true it was. It took a little while to get there, but from that moment forward, I knew that I wanted to find a way to work for myself. I’ve thought about what he said a lot ever since, especially when I'm doubting my choice to be an artist full-time. Being your own boss can suck, but I still know that I don’t want to work for anyone else.
In what way does your work stand out in your field?
Hard to say. People often tell me that they can recognize my work, so I guess I’m doing something to stand out, I’m just not exactly sure what. In most of my pieces, I strive to leave some portion of myself behind within the art, so maybe that provides something distinctive about it.
What are some of the most important things that our audience can do to support you?
Show up to art events! Come out and see my work in person. Following/sharing on social media can be great, but showing up in person to support artists makes a big difference. I think in general, photos don’t do art the justice it deserves. You need to see the real deal to fully appreciate and connect with it. You can see my work, and a variety of art from 10+ other local artists at 31art Gallery here in St. Louis.
Another thing, if an artist’s work really moves you, tell them that. Even if you’re not in the market to purchase anything, it feels good to hear that your work is positively impacting someone. At least in my own experience as an artist, I spend a lot of time in my own head, often overthinking and critiquing my artwork. Hearing that someone felt some connection to what I’ve created helps me to remember that even when I’m not fully satisfied with my work, it can still have value to others.
What are some of your goals for the next year, or the next 5 years?
At the beginning of this year, I wanted to slow down more. I had been feeling pretty burned out, so I decided to scale some things back a bit. I think this has helped me focus on planning and creating new work, and helped me worry less about external distractions that are often not worth the attention they demand. In the next five years, I really want to grow my career as an artist while maintaining a healthy balance with the rest of my life. I’d like to spread my art to more new places, and partner with more STL businesses in creative ways. I’d like to continue fine-tuning my skills and create art on a grander scale, but I also want to be very conscious of not overextending myself. I’d rather be happy declining opportunities than miserable accepting too many.
What is unique or great about the STL?
There is always something cool to do. There are so many art events, music events, sports events, food events, nerdy events… basically whatever you’re into, your people are out there enjoying it. You just gotta show up and get in on the action. As an introvert, this specific perk of STL can be overwhelming, but I’m grateful that when I’m feeling up for it, I can do a quick search through social media, or get a recommendation from a friend, and find something fun going on that I’d like to check out.
What inspires you about St. Louis?
I think we have so much potential here as a city. We have plenty of issues too, but I know so many people living here who really love STL and want to improve it. And many of them are opening businesses and creating spaces for communities to thrive. That gives me hope that we can grow into an even more prosperous and inclusive creative hub for the Midwest. There’s so much potential just waiting to be harnessed somehow, I just hope that it is harnessed in a way that benefits the local communities in most need of it.
About STL.org
Driven by a mission to discover and share our favorite parts of the community, STL.org is a nonprofit effort to advocate, support, and promote creativity in the St. Louis region. Help us by subscribing to our newsletter and YouTube channels, sharing with your friends, and sending us your favorite stories and characters that are enriching our city.
Content and video production are supported by creators and private donors within the St. Louis region. Support local!
