Artist Profile: Maggie Kreig

Emma Stuber '22     A&E Editor

What mediums do you often use to create your work?

➥ Most of the time I work with pencils and colored pencils. Occasionally I will use paint.

Are there any artists that inspire you?
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➥ I like Leonardo da Vinci’s work because of his art style. I am also inspired by various artists on social media who are able to create photo-realistic work.

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Why do you like to create art?


➥ For me, creating art is really peaceful and satisfying. It also gives me a chance to test out my ideas.

Do any personal aspects of your identity have influence in your work? How does it help you to create?


➥ For the most part, I like to stick with realism, but sometimes I do like to focus my art on mental health issues, such as anxiety or depression.


Are there any themes or objects you tend to pursue in your work? Why?
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➥ The majority of my work is portraits. I enjoy working with faces because of how complex they are and the level of accuracy and amount of work that is needed to make a successful portrait. 
Do you have any advice for other student artists?
➥ My advice for other artists is to be ok with making mistakes. That sounds very cliche, however when you are making art you need to let go of perfectionism. I am a perfectionist, and I used to want all of my artwork to be flawless. But trying to avoid mistakes only frustrated me and it was harder to see progress. After allowing myself to make mistakes, drawing became less stressful, and I felt more motivated. Also, it’s really cool to look back on horrible artwork and see how far you have come!

​Do you have a favorite artwork out of the ones you included? Why is it your favorite?
➥ My favorite piece would probably be the colored pencil portrait with exaggerated colors. Faces have lots of color in them, except a lot of the color is very dull so it’s not really noticeable. By bringing out these hidden colors, I feel like a layer of this person’s identity was exposed, or maybe some emotions or struggle that they experience was brought to light.