Maryanna Hoggatt - Exclusive Look at an Artist's One-of-a-kind Animal Army

Hello friends, it’s summer in the northern hemisphere and the unusual weather has left us in a state of perplexity; last week the highs were approaching 100 degrees, and now it has dipped into the mid 50s with dreary rain and blustery days. Regardless of the barometric pressure in the atmosphere, we’re always in the mood to take a break, find the nearest shady locale or coffee shop, and unwind with a good book. Writing blog posts is a wonderful opportunity for the Overcup staff to revisit the beautiful artwork featured in the Tall Trees series. We’re able to explore more about the people who are creating these pieces, what’s driving their creative processes, and how their art extends into the outside world.

In 2013 Maryanna Hoggatt began working full-time as a painter and illustrator, later teaching herself to sculpt via countless hours of research and youtube videos. Her pieces have gained significant popularity, and are now recognizable across a wide array of formats; from paintings and sculptures to murals, books, and beer labels. She has successfully carved a place of stature for herself in the Portland artistic community; her pieces have been curated in gallery shows, newspaper publications and blogs. Needless to say, Overcup is absolutely overjoyed to work with such a talented individual, and is very pleased to showcase some of her exceptional work in our Tall Trees of Portland hybrid art/travel guide.

Marianna Hoggat-Raccoon



“Maryanna Hoggatt is the real deal. She keeps taking her work to new levels and using new mediums. For example, what began as illustrations soon became 3D sculptures. Those evolved into posable puppets which she could photograph in a variety of scenarios. She's a total pro to work with. She's tough, smart, confident and has amazing instincts. I'm happy to have her as part of the Overcup family.”

-Patrick McDonald, Overcup Press Founder / Publisher

Maryanna grabbed our attention very quickly. Not only is she clearly very skilled and adept in her execution of the subject matter, but she also successfully captures narratives, human tendencies and emotions through the army of beasts she has created. The content of her subject matter is rendered in such a breathtakingly detailed way, the animals seem to jump to life on the page. The sweetness of the forest creatures dressed in children's’ clothes and wielding comically-sized weapons is balanced with the feeling of courage, and they convincingly illicit a sense of power when faced with unknown obstacles. With her approach in Hearts + Stars, the most recent in her Animal Battle series of illustrations, she continues to take on the catharsis of human emotion and embody it in the development of her characters. Moving into sculpture, the subjects of her paintings gain a refreshing new life when when they are given three-dimensional form and they are playful and light-hearted without being overwhelmingly whimsical. Her refreshing perspective is evident in the characters; with their interactions in the world, they never seem to express uncertainty, and instead maintain an uplifting sense of optimism and positivity when faced with overcoming challenges.

The variance of her work extends into her current artistic endeavors; at the moment, she is partaking in a mural painting at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital while simultaneously developing story, character design and layout for her upcoming children’s picture book Tolly to be published by Overcup Press. The book will be released in April, 2017; art enthusiasts should sign up for our email list to be in the know about limited presale packages and other news about Tolly.


Be sure to keep an eye on Maryanna’s Instagram and blog for endless amounts of creative content and inspiration. She’s truly a gem in the art world, and Overcup proudly supports her aesthetic vision and the captivating content she has produced.

Tolly Ho!



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