Artist Interviews 2025

Maggie Vandewalle  
By Laura Siebold




Maggie Vandewalle knows how to make people smile. The creatures she puts on paper remind us of the days when the world seemed just a little bit less cruel and take us back to our childhood. Her illustrations of bears, birds, deer, and owls not only make us yearn for the arrival of fall and the warmth home provides in this season, but they also remind us of the power of kindness and of the fun we get to experience by being silly now and then. Maggie finds an infinite array of inspiration in the natural world, and strives to continue learning as a lifelong goal. Enjoy Maggie’s words and her illustrations in this interview.



Can you please try to describe your art in three words? Please go into detail about why you chose those three words.


Whimsy, Affinity, Detail I want my work to be relatable and to evoke the accepting nature of being a kid, when all things were ridiculously possible. To achieve that, I place animals in oftentimes fantastical situations, doing sometimes silly things. Additionally, I have never been a less-is-more kind of person; to me, the more detail I can provide, the more comfortable I am with a piece, and the more I can convey the visual story I want to tell.



When did you choose art as your main profession? What led up to this moment?


I don’t think there was ever a time that I didn’t know I was going to be an artist. It was a given, like hazel eyes and being right-handed. For a while, when I was ten or so, I was pretty sure writing would be that outlet, but when I realized I was skipping ahead to see the next illustration, and not to see how the story ended, my focus shifted.



How did you find your unique style and voice as an artist? What do you enjoy most about drawing and painting?


When I was in art school, the emphasis was on technique and “serious” art. Towards that end, I created landscapes completely devoid of irrelevant things, like bunnies or cats. One day, I was reading about the mysterious nature of a particular hare in a book about witches, and I decided I needed to try to create the imagery in my head on paper. That was my first in a long line of hares, and I realized that if I gave myself permission to paint the not-so-serious things, I was able to catch that exciting feeling of skipping ahead to see the next illustration.



Cats, bunnies, bats, and crows invite the viewer into a world of imagination and the supernatural. Many of your watercolor paintings also feature a full moon. What does the full moon stand for in your work?


Moon magic. It adds to the whimsy and magical nature of the critters and places I’m painting.



Where do you find inspiration, and what might hinder your ability to create art?


I find inspiration in being outside and watching the sheer magnitude of living beings right outside the door. Books are also huge…catching the essence of an idea that forms in my head as I read. And my cat:) I don’t often have difficulty working, though there are days when I question whether I’ve said all I want to say. The feeling doesn’t last long, given that my inspirations are pretty infinite.



Has your art always been your main source of income, or do you pursue a second career path?


Art has been my only source of income for the past twenty-six years. Starting out, I held a bazillion part-time jobs and painted on the side. When my husband finished school, I was able to concentrate fully on art as a career.



Where do you mostly exhibit your work, and what do you love most about engaging with the public?


I exhibit my work in multiple ways. I belong to brick-and-mortar galleries, maintain a website, and also have an Etsy shop for small prints and cards. Social media is a huge factor in promoting my work; it allows me to reach an audience that wasn’t possible in my beginning years. As a result of that exposure, I have also added licensing deals to my outlets.

My advice to new artists is to be your biggest advocate. Don’t wait for galleries to make you relevant…learn how to promote yourself, and despite it sometimes being a necessary evil, social media is key to that. Paint every single day.



Where do nature and imagination intersect in your work?


Nature gives me fodder for my work; imagination lets me toy with it. Hence, a black cat flying in a witch’s hat:)



Is there a goal you are working towards as an artist?


I am forever grateful that I get to do what I love every day. To me, there’s not much more I could ask for. I will say that I do strive to test what I think my limits are, and to constantly be learning how to do things better than before.



What do you consider the greatest accomplishment of your artistic career?


Someone once said that my work reminded them of a favorite book they had yet to read. Having that reaction from people I’ve never met means I’ve managed to convey what I’ve wanted to say. I’m proud that my work elicits that kind of response and that my abilities have grown over the years to achieve it.