"Spring Pickins" a woodcut print portrays a human hand harvesting ramps, a delicious wild onion that grows abundantly in the spring in the hills of Appalachia. Also included in the imagery are morel mushrooms, another nutritious edible. While we are living with an abundance of natural food sources in the Appalachian woodlands, often people who live amongst these lands either dismiss these foods or just see them as a novelty. With a little education on how to harvest and prepare mountain foods, people who live within these lands can enjoy a healthy abundant food source.
Eddie “Spaghetti” Maier uses his creative talents to share Mother Nature's bountiful gifts of beauty. While he predominately works as a printmaker, he is also adept in other mediums including pottery, batik, mural painting, and just about anything art related. Eddie also loves to share his talents by teaching and holding art workshops.
He has a reverence for nature and love of the outdoors. His activities include canoeing, camping, hiking and travel, primarily in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia where he calls Morgantown, WV his home.
Eddie feels blessed and grateful for his artistic talents but his success has come from years of hard work and dedication. He grew up feeling most connected with clay and making pottery on the wheel. But, after learning woodcut printmaking while on a study abroad to Australia, he found his calling. Even after 20 years of making woodcuts, he still says, “I can't stop carving. I've become obsessed with the process. I love printmaking.” ...and his passion shows in his work.
His decision to make art become his lively hood is worth mentioning. After the death of his brother Erich, he realized the sacred meaning of life is to live it. He felt it was time to pursue his passion. Kathy Martinez, an artist friend from his hometown of Johnstown, PA turned Eddie on to selling his art at music festivals and arts and craft fairs. He can often be found traveling with his family to places all over the USA. His wife Talia and children Zealon and Zuri also make art to be shared and sold while they are on the road together. He boasts, “I love seeing places across our country, “We've got brothers and sisters all over. That's what makes an artist's life so special.”