Exploring the Artistry of Negin Maddock: From Engineer to Earth Greetings Artist

With a background in mechanical engineering, Negin transitioned to a full-time art career after becoming a mother, allowing her creativity to flourish in new and inspiring ways.

We’re excited to chat with Negin Maddock, one of our talented artists here at Earth Greetings. Based in Sydney, Negin’s work beautifully captures the unique charm of Australian native flora and fauna through her expertise in traditional watercolour, printmaking, and digital illustration.

 

1. Tell us a bit about your background as a scientist and how this influences your art-making process.

At university I studied Mechanical Engineering and later a PhD in Biomedical Engineering. My PhD topic investigated the mechanical properties of bone during fracture healing, using various analysis techniques including computer simulation. I later worked researching the properties of biomedical materials. I designed and conducted many experiments, wrote many peer-reviewed scientific papers, and spent many hours writing grant applications for funding (oh the joy). I think there are four main influences that my past career has on my current artistic career; discipline, work ethic, organisation and record keeping.

 

2. How has your artistic style and approach evolved over the years?

Since I first began, I think I’ve developed a distinct style. Initially, I was happy to dabble in this and that, whereas now I focus on what I am good at.

 

3. You’ve been a member of the Warringah Printmakers Studio for many years. What draws you to printmaking, and how do you hope to spread the love for this unique art form?

Printmaking is one of the most underrated artforms. It is also very unforgiving, requiring a lot of trial and error, patience, determination and vision. The process itself is a labour of love. With something like painting or drawing, the result is instantaneous. You draw a line, and there you go, you know what it looks like straight away. Not so with printmaking, you “draw” a line, and then you have to work the plate, and then you have to ink it, and then you finally print it. It’s only then that you see the result, and often it doesn’t work; so you go back and work with all the variables involved to get it to look like the vision you had in your mind. It is an artform that can literally make you go temporarily insane, but so amazingly rewarding when you finally get it right.

One of my favourite quotes that I’ve heard but not sure who it’s attributed to is “Printmaking is fun because it takes a perfectly simple process like drawing and makes it as complicated and error prone as possible.” So true! In this age of instant gratification, I think it’s an artform that everyone needs explore to get back to that place where we have to exercise patience, commitment and discipline to achieve something.

I love being a member of Warringah Printmakers Studio, I have been on the committee for a number of years now. The Studio is a community based, not-for-profit organisation entirely run by volunteers. The ethos of the Studio is an emphasis on safer printmaking practices, for both people and the environment; solvents are not used, nor are toxic etching acids. 

 

4. What role do you think sustainability plays in the art world, and how do you incorporate eco-friendly practices into your work?

The reality is sustainability should play an equal role in every facet of human society. Humans need to be mindful about what they use and how much waste they create all the time. I still grapple with my usage of paper, inks, paint etc everyday as an artist; I have daily philosophical arguments with myself about the “real” need for my art, and what it consumes, because the truth is, no one “needs” it. This is one of the reasons why I am drawn to creating art digitally. I use an iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, and Procreate (an Australian company!) for much of my work now. I’m still drawing by hand, but my paint-brush/pen/pencil is the Apple Pencil, and the paper is the screen. It might seem a little “soulless” but the reduction in physical waste I create is significant! (But don’t get me started on the environmental toll of storing all that digital data - the philosophical argument continues.)

 

5. We’ve noticed that Australian birds feature prominently in your artwork. What draws you to these subjects, and how do you capture their unique characteristics and beauty in your artwork?

I can’t really explain my fascination with birds; I just get this incredible feeling when I see them, and wish I could shrink to their size and give them a cuddle. I started drawing Australian native birds purely as a way of educating myself about them. I am surrounded by these incredible flying creatures daily, and realised I knew very little about them. So I started painting and sketching them, simultaneously reading up about them. I’m by no means an expert, but I love understanding more about them and there’s always so much more to learn.  

 

6. Have you faced any significant challenges in your artistic journey, and how have you overcome them?

My most significant challenge is not having enough time and unless I sell my kids and husband on Etsy, I’m not sure how I will ever overcome that.

 

7. Can you share a particularly memorable moment or experience from your recent artistic endeavours?

Last year the Exhibition Coordinator at Warringah Printmakers Studio became unexpectedly ill and had to withdraw from the Committee. Our President and Vice-President were overseas on extended trips, so I was left to coordinate our members’ Annual Exhibition; everything from promotion, selection, bump-in and bump-out, and coordinating the volunteers. It was a mammoth task: 54 artists and 84 framed artworks. I was having kittens by the end of it, but it all came together beautifully because of the wonderful members the Studio has who volunteer their time to help out!

 

8. What advice would you give to emerging artists who are trying to find their voice and establish their brand?

Just do it. Don’t try to keep perfecting something, it will never be perfect, and if you don’t start putting yourself out there, someone else will beat you to it. If you're competitive like me, that’s motivation enough!

 

9. How do you stay inspired and motivated, especially during times when creativity might be low?

To-Do lists! To-Do lists are the answer to all of life’s problems. I get such great satisfaction out of crossing things off my To-Do list, it’s a little weird.

 

10. Tell us about your experience collaborating with Earth Greetings and what you hope our community will gain from your artwork.

I can’t sing Earth Greetings’ praises enough! I remember when Heide Hackworth first contacted me for collaboration and I did some research on the company. I was blown away by the authenticity of the brand. Many companies promote sustainability, but most of the time it’s smoke and mirrors. Earth Greetings is the real thing, where all elements of the production process are considered. The team is absolutely wonderful and I feel very fortunate to be part of this amazing Australian company.

You can check out Negin Maddock's collaboration with Earth Greetings here!