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Maggie Bandstra’s introduction to her life-long love affair with art began while visiting a friend’s house at the age of four. This friend’s mother had painted a mural on the floor of a bedroom (something Maggie would never have been allowed to do in her own home) and the image of the big, orange sun struck a chord in her. She didn’t even really like her little friend whose home possessed the lovely mural, but she made up excuses to hang out with her and her mother. There was always something crafty to do at that house and Maggie was hooked. In the end the friend was dropped, but the love of art stayed.
Throughout the years Maggie has changed her career goals, but has never strayed from her passion. At four she wanted to be an art teacher like her aforementioned friend’s mother, figuring that if she could make a living out of creating a mess, that would be a solid plan. As the teenage years rolled on, Maggie thought she should become a fashion designer and then narrowed it down at 18 to becoming an elementary teacher. After a few years of actually being an elementary teacher, she decided that there was way too much paperwork and moved into becoming an art teacher, thus coming full circle and reinforcing the belief that we really do know some important pieces of who we are at a very young age. Turning 30 was an important eye-opening experience for Maggie, it caused her to stop and think about what she was good at and what was important to her. She knows she’s a better teacher because she is using her passion and instilling the love of art into children.
Maggie has focused her art on oil paintings, children’s murals, children’s portraits, pottery, and most recently paper collages. Her oil paintings tend to be based around local landscapes.
