Our society is one that spends little time looking back. While we often forget the roots of American culture, Mike Maxwell is right there to remind us. This San Diego based artist studies turn of the century portraits as a means to dissect human relationships, the legacies we leave behind, and the stories we carry with us.

We picked Mike’s brain about his upcoming show, Until the Whistle Blows, at The Shooting Gallery. Read further for the inside scoop on Mike’s tattoos, the benefits of golf, and a snippet of art talk. -The Shooting Gallery

Until The Whistle Blows is a show about the irresolvable past and the wildly unpredictable future.

The theme of the show is based around beginnings and ends, life spans, eras, histories, and legacies. It’s about the things we keep and those things we leave behind.

The title means do what you do until your done. Never say die, live the life, take the ride.

The subjects are farmers, hustlers, thieves, housewives, sisters, brothers, parents, low-lifes, down and outers, working class stiffs, lovers, fighters, movers n’ shakers, do gooders,  money makers and everywhere in between.

The mood is ghostly reminiscences of your past.

I’m interested in how it’s virtually an unconscious process we go through to pick and choose our relationships and the wild ride human relationships can take.

I am inspired by Paul Chatem who is in the show with me; Mike Giant is a continual inspiration as a person and as an artist; Shawn Barber, Damon Soule, Paul Urich, Jeremy Fish, Barry McGee, Margaret Kilgallen, AJ Fosik, my fellow San Diegan artists Kelsey Brookes and Ben Horton, Travis Louie, KMNDZ, Ekundayo, Joshy Clay, Mike Alverez, Andrew Hem, Jeff Soto, Clayton Bros., Adam Flores, and many many more.

Paul Chatem and I have similar stories to tell, so it’s nice to see another artist’s interpretation of corresponding topics.

I ride my skater with Pete Dog everyday. I don’t surf- I’m not a big fan of cold water or sticky sand.

Pete Dog can make you smile even when you are having a terrible day. It’s crazy- whenever we walk down the street people see him and they just light up, you can’t help yourself.

One thing that drives me crazy is that it’s  impossible to drain him of energy for long. We take a 20 minute full sprint run in the morning and a 20 minute walk at night and still he is ready to charge at a moment’s notice.

I hang out mostly at “The Compound,” restaurants, and at the golf course.

As a kid I thought I would grow up to be a comic strip illustrator. Out of high school I began to teach myself graphic design and I have also tattooed. But all of those pale in comparison for my love of painting.

It Clicked when I started to work on art full time about 7 years ago.

My goal is to make strong honest work that is meaningful and to continue living this life as I see fit.

The way I see it, as long as you put in the time and effort to make good honest work that is first self fulfilling, then the establishing of yourself will occur organically.

I had been doing my own work on the street for about a year and Shepard had taken notice, as me and my homie were crushing San Diego every week.

So I started going down to Black Market every now and then to pick up stickers and some posters and to say word and such. I started asking about work and Shep needed a new assistant, and he gave me the job.

I worked and lived with him for 2 years, in which time I soaked up information like a sponge. I tell everyone now that that was my art schooling. It was at that time that I knew I wanted to make art for a living.

I have been tattooed by a number of different people throughout my life, however Mike Giant is responsible for the majority of the work I have.

They basically tell a narrative of my life so far. Each one clearly reminds me of who I have been in the past and what those moments in time meant to me, as I move forward in this life.

I think very highly of Kelsey Brookes, in fact I think he is the 2nd best artist in San Diego. He is one of those super positive guys that really is living the life.

It’s nice to have another artist in the hood who is really making moves and doing his thing as a full time artist- that seems to be a rarity down here lately.

San Diego is the best place in the world because it’s home.

For inquiries about Mike’s work, please contact The Shooting Gallery here.