Mini & Maximus

Do you remember when you really felt like art was going to be part of your life forever?
The first time I felt that art was going to be in my life forever was when i was sixteen, Hurley International featured my doodles as Tee shirt graphics worldwide. You can imagine how a teenager felt to just have his doodles, that were always just a hobby, become an actual graphic for a company like that. I knew at that point in my life art was the only thing i wanted to do, forever.

What childhood interests or memories continue to influence you still today?
Even though I can’t think of a specific memory,my grandpa Raul Rossell ,would always come over my house as a kid and he’d just be doodling non-stop ,always with a pen in hand, and I just would get so stoked to see him always making cartoons and just getting so into his work. Little did I know, he was a famous artist. As a kid he just completely inspired me and now as an adult, having lost him, I want to bring honor to him through my work. So I remember him everytime I go through all his work from Doodles to comics, even his big projects like the Smurfs or Jungle Book, and I get so much inspiration off of it and his hard work.

Tell us a little about your process, how do you find inspiration and how does that lead to the end result?
I find a lot of my inspiration through kids books, old records, vintage tees, vintage cartoons,and in general mindless doodling. Alot of my work is based off of the things I like to do, or the places i visit during the week like the flea market or like if I had a really fun day skating or somthin’. For Mini & Maximus it was fun to doodle because in my artwork there’s characters either painting or skateboarding etc., which as a kid that’s all you think about fun characters and running around and stuff, it just fits perfect for children’s t-shirts.

What motivates you to keep creating? Is it a desire to change the world, or the way people think, or more just a necessity, something that has to come out of you?
It’s like the term “You cant put the book down.” I’m just always in my own little world and I express my visions through doodling and painting. I guess in my own way, I would want to change the world, because I have these dreams of painting world wide. I know as an artist when I see street art and how they light up the city in all of their uniqueness I get SO many ideas, I mean i just wanna partake in that, I wana paint on walls and huge buildings, its in that day to day little inspiration from those artists that makes me want to keep making more.

When you were a child, besides an artist what did you dream of being or doing?
You know i have never really asked myself that question haha… I grew up always skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding, biking etc. At those times I was always just so stoked to be doing something active with all my friends, so maybe that or something but, really I can’t see myself doing anything other than art.

If you couldn’t do art what would you do?
LOL..

What kind of things from your everyday life inspire what you do in your art?
Skateboarding, Surfing, Snowboarding, Biking gets those creative juices flowing! ? guess when I land a trick, or when you’re out doing those things, you just run into things you wouldnt see everyday, if you were just siting around in your house…ya know’…

How much of what you do is a statement, how much is a response and how much is just experimentation or exploration?
I mean when i doodle I just do it for fun, you know’, I mean I like putting it up in places for fun, like street art or whatever, but im like a dog, I just wana leave my mark “STINK WAS HERE” haha.. Well I do enjoy exploring though and i guess in the right time by leaving my mark ,that is making a statement and in due time it’ll become something or be noticed, but all in all I do it cus I just feel like doing it.