033 - Maggie Covert LeBlanc of Walking Man Studios on Finding a Niche Subject Matter, and Working Through Grief with Art

Positively Creative

On this episode of Positively Creative, Maggie Covert LeBlanc of Walking Man Studios talks with us about being an artist in New Orleans, keeping her business going while experiencing a family tragedy and how her art helped her heal after the loss of her niece. We also chat about her custom work and her adorable dog series!

About Maggie:

Maggie Covert received her Bachelor’s degree from Maryland Institute College of Art in Interdisciplinary Sculpture with a Concentration in Book Arts. She was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her home has made a huge impact on her art, as the culture, vitality, and architecture are hard to escape. Since Hurricane Katrina, Maggie has been exploring the ideas of losing the contributing factors that make a place home. She has been drawn to the repetitive nature of disastrous events along with the governmental, social, and geographic reactions to these.

Her most recent work channels the whimsical nature of New Orleans’ architecture and characters. She continues to be drawn to details in the buildings and landscape of her hometown. Seeing the beauty and tireless work in each structure, She creates a connection to each establishment through the recreation of these in architectural drawings and paintings.

Maggie currently works with multiple local realtors and real estate companies providing personalized illustrations and paintings for them to gift to sellers or buyers at closing. Creating connections with others who love architecture and real estate is continually inspirational to Maggie’s craft and business growth.

With her studio on Magazine Street in New Orleans, Maggie continues to work on Custom Home Portraits - for locals and many from other states such as Maryland, New York, Oregon and even receiving requests from the UK. Gaining experience with multiple commercial property drawings as well as album art and wedding invitations, she has branched out to stationary work allowing her to create custom notecards, postcards and custom wedding invitations.

In addition to the architectural work, Maggie has begun a series of "Walking Illustrations". Each walking piece is meant to provoke a feeling of movement (physical, emotional, spiritual, mental)- growth in one's life and development. With these illustrations, Maggie hopes to portray a joy that much art, culture and people are missing in modern times. Focusing in on joy with a little whimsy and maybe even some historical or spiritual undertones, Maggie aims to show that "everyone walks the same path."

Website: https://www.walkingmanstudios.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/walkingmanstudios/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/walkingmanstudios

Links:

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About The Positively Creative Podcast:

The Positively Creative Podcast was created by Dorothy Collier, artist of Dorothy Art, for creative entrepreneurs. When Dorothy started having a positive outlook on every aspect of her life, including her art career, the creativity and opportunities started overflowing! Join her as she chats with other small business owners, discussing the ins and outs of how to run a creative business and how they make it in their respective fields.

To learn more about The Positively Creative Podcast, visit our website or head over to our Patreon page! You can also find Dorothy on Instagram at @positivelycreativepodcast and @dorothyart!