John Wagner,
Hallmark artist since 1970, says Maxine was inspired by his mother, his maiden
aunts and his grandmother, the woman who bought him art lessons when 'fill in
the pumpkins' was about the extent of his art classes at St. John's Catholic
School in Leonia N.J.
John remembers
doodling as a preschooler and says both his grandmother and his mother
encouraged his artistic interests. He eventually attended the Vesper George
School of Art in Boston and landed at Hallmark as part of a new artists group. But it was the birth of the humorous Shoebox
Greetings (a tiny little division of Hallmark) in 1986 that added a new
dimension to John's professional life. The Shoebox way of seeing the world
unleashed his talents and he created Maxine..
Why the name 'Maxine'? 'People at
Shoebox started referring to the character as 'John Wagner's old lady,' and I
knew that would get me into trouble with my wife,' John says. The Shoebox team
had a contest among themselves to name the character and three of the
approximately 30 entries suggested 'Maxine'. John says the name is perfect.
John, who says he's humbled by such acceptance of Maxine, admits he's proud of
her.
Comments (0):