ROSEVILLE, California —The first time Mary Maxwell saw a Victorian-style lamp shade, she was hooked. "It was the most incredibly gorgeous thing I had ever seen," recalls Maxwell, an artist and founder of Heart Enterprises, Victorian Style Lamp Shades. "I had to know how to make them. I was driven."
That was in 1972. Since that time, Maxwell, who is self-taught, has become the nation's premiere designer of Victorian-style lamp shades and has sold hundreds of her creations to clients across the country. Each shade is meticulously hand-sewn from imported silk, velvet or other fine materials that are dyed and decorated with Maxwell's own carefully crafted rosettes, fringe and bead work. "The quality of my work is impeccable," says the former aero-space industry worker, "never a stitch out of place."
By 1990, Maxwell's work, which sells for an average of $750 for a complete lamp, was in such demand, she was finding it difficult to keep up with the orders. "I was killing myself," she explains. "Finally, I got the idea I should make a series of video tapes teaching other people how to do this."
Maxwell enlisted the help of her musician husband, Eric Maxwell, and in a short time, they had completed three instructional video tapes, each retailing for under $50. The first, "How to Make Victorian Style Lamp Shades," is a 65-minute color video that walks the viewer, step-by-step, through the entire process of making a Victorian-style shade. The
second video is "How to Restore Traditional Style Lamp Shades." And the third, "Victorian Sugar Shades and Other Advanced Techniques," demonstrates the process for "sugaring" and other pleating techniques. Maxwell's tapes are the only ones on the market that teach the art of hand sewing shades.
The videos, now in their third edition, are extremely popular. Maxwell has had orders from as far away as Canada and Japan. One of her most enthusiastic students is Michigan-based artist James Taulbee. "I ordered the video, and when I got it, I followed it step-by-step. It was so well explained," says Taulbee who has all three tapes and has created close to 200 Victorian-style shades. "It changed my life totally."
In addition to antique shows throughout the United States, Maxwell's work has been showcased in numerous magazines
and books, including Victorian Homes Magazine and The Lamp Shade Book, by Dawn Kusick. Her videos have been featured in Victorian Decorating & Lifestyles Emporium. Currently, she is negotiating with the Discovery Channel to give a demonstration on cable television's "Interior Motives." In February, Maxwell was nominated for the 1997 Loctite CNA Monsanto Craft Designer of the Year award.
Maxwell, who has seen her business (still a sole proprietorship) increase 700 percent over the past four years, produces catalogues with more than 300 items for her clients' convenience — ornate wire frames, bead fringes or complete lampshade kits, plus Victorian table lamps and bridge lamps (which she is having manufactured overseas). She is philosophical about the future. "I plan to take it as it comes," says the artist turned instructor, who is content to continue making shades and sharing her knowledge with others. "I'm maintaining an art form and creating heirlooms that might otherwise be lost."