SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A local artist is following his passion by putting his work on display for the first time at a café in Springfield, after a 30-year break from painting.
Tea Bar and Bites features a different artist every month, where Jerry Maxfield’s work is currently on display. He says showing his work and allowing people to buy his paintings has been an adventure.
Maxfield first discovered his love for painting specifically with watercolors, at 19 when he was in college.
“I’ve always loved to paint, and I thought I was just painting for my own pleasure,” Maxfield said. “And people started seeing my. Well, I had some of my paintings hung in my son’s office and people kept asking why they couldn’t buy these.”
Maxfield said after college his focus shifted to having a family. After his children grew up, he went back to his love of painting and signed a few of his pieces until 1989 when he stepped away again. Now inspiration has struck, and he has picked up his paintbrush once more he tells me this time, he plans to keep painting.
Maxfield works almost exclusively with watercolors. Many of his paintings feature colorful abstract animals and landscapes, and Maxfield says his ideas for his paintings can come to him at anytime.
“Whatever pops into my head. For a while it was like it was occurring at like two or three or four in the morning,” Maxfield said. “And I’d wake up and something would have made me laugh in my sleep, I guess. And I couldn’t resist. I’d just go do a sketch and then put some color on it the next day.”
Tea Bar and Bites has been displaying the work of local artists for about 15 years. Owner Colleen Smith says for many artists the café is their first show.
“They’re always so excited,” Smith said. “In a café setting like this, you know, you have more time to really you’re sitting here for probably an hour having a meal and to be able to look around and really check out the art.”
Maxfield is one of many artists displayed at Tea Bar and Bites throughout the year. The cafe features a different artist each month and Smith says she loves giving local artists their time to shine.
Smith says sometimes she reaches out to the artists but other times they find her.
“He was a customer and he came up to me one day and said, So-and-so said I should talk to you about showing my art. And I said, Yes, I would love to see it,” Smith said. “And he showed me some pieces on his phone and, you know, we just fell in love with it.”
Maxfield’s artwork will be on display and for purchase for the rest of July.
