Meet Maya Pinz | Freelance Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Maya Pinz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maya, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
It’s still feels a bit weird for me to label myself as a business, but as time has passed I have found more interest in concretely establishing myself as a small business. The challenge in a creative field is trying to figure out how to bring in income in a sustainable way, and one the best ways to do that in my experience is by selling my work in a variety of forms. I think that the desire to create sell-able work is what really got me into printmaking in the past few years. I love the idea of making something that can be reproduced, but still feels unique and special for the buyer.

When I did my first market I was putting a ton of pressure on myself to make as many products as possible despite having little knowledge/skill at the time. But over the past few years I really have created ways to make products that both my audience and myself will enjoy. One of my big goals this year is to restart my online store. I turned away from it for a time because I truly love selling my products and art in a more face to face context.

I hope to continue to grow my platform and ideally sell in a greater variety of contexts in the next few years!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am primarily a oil painter here in Columbus, Ohio. In addition to that, I have recently discovered a passion for public art and mural creation. I am most proud of the several murals I completed in 2023 and I am super excited to see what 2024 hold for me regarding public art. It was definitely not easy… I had to learn a lot about not only the materials, but the many other factors that influence these large scale projects. I had many accidents happen, most embarrassingly – exploding a can of spray paint directly into my face. I’ve had to become much more confident on ladders, and completely change the way I paint. Typically my oil paintings are quite small, and learning how to use brushes in a new way to adapt to the drastic size change was hard for me.

Needless to say many lessons were learned like: always wear more sunscreen than you think, bring more water than you need, and make sure your brushes are bigger than a pencil.

The biggest thing I want people to know about me is that my biggest desire with my work is to create a connection with my audience, and I hope that I can continue doing that in the future.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love this question because I have been able to do this with my family. I am still exploring Columbus myself. For breakfast I would hit Hangover Easy or Pistacia Vera – and if we needed an extra caffeine boost I would swing by The Roosevelt, Stauf’s, or Parable. (I love going to coffee shops so I will stop there) As for activities, I love Inniswood Metro Garden, and the Scioto Mile. The Book Loft is always a big favorite. I absolutely love the Columbus Museum of Art and obviously I would take them to Blockfort. I also love window shopping on High Street, especially Happy Go Lucky, and at Easton Town Center. We have to hit Cole’s Plants or Stump to get a little leafy friend, and we have to stop at Carfagna’s Market and North Market!

As for other food and drink – Forno, Bakersfield, Marcella’s, Northstar Cafe, Club 185, and Pins (Pinz, get it?) Mechanical Company are all top spots for me.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would have to dedicate my shoutout to Blockfort Gallery here in Columbus. By total chance I had a professor give me a list of galleries to call about internships, and Blockfort was on that list. I started cold calling of the galleries on this list, just hoping someone would give me a chance. Adam Brouillette, local artist and co-owner of Blockfort, was the only person who got back to me and shortly after meeting him, I began interning. There was definitely a learning curve for me, and there was a lot about running and maintaining a gallery that I did not understand prior to my internship. I was so intimidated at times by the talent in the building and felt like I really needed to earn my place there.

A year and a half later and I can honestly say I have never learned so much from one single place in my life. I have experienced so much growth in my work and I truly equate a lot of that to the community at Blockfort. I am incredibly grateful and blessed to know and work alongside all the other artists at Blockfort. There is so much support and knowledge that is happily shared amongst everyone. In the last few months I started renting a studio there, which has just allowed me to be more meshed with the community. Having such an amazing group of artists to work with is so valuable. Being at Blockfort has literally changed my life. I couldn’t be more grateful for everything Blockfort and Adam has done for me.

Website: www.mayapinz.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/mayapinz

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayapinz/