Juxtapoz Art and Culture-Spring_2019

128 SPRING 2019

alifornia. As an inspiration,

it is a cornucopia of colors. A

palette of emerald from the north

coast would dramatically differ

from pale pastels of the deserts

in the extreme Southeast. From Eureka to San

Diego, it’s a massive state, an amalgamation of

the entire planet in one 840-mile stretch, north

to south. Maxwell McMaster, a native of Central

California, now based in Los Angeles, captures a

particular mood and aesthetic of the romanticism

of the Golden State. With sunset hues and coastal

vantage points, McMaster taps into a subconscious

and flat, dreamy depiction of home and place, one

that doesn’t necessarily make him an pastoral or

environmental artist, but someone who channels

space in unique ways.

Evan Pricco: Let's kick this off with the folksy

part of your work: do you prefer sunrises or

sunsets?

Maxwell McMaster: I’m into sunrises right now,

since I don’t see them as often. They’re more

rare for me. So maybe I don’t know as much

about them, they’re not so familiar. There’s also

something about the idea of new beginnings that

I like. However, I typically paint sunsets. I love

the colors and observing how they change with

time and the seasons.

You grew up in Sacramento, right? I always

think of Central California as a hotbed of

creative talent. So much has come from there.

Did you feel that growing up?

Yeah, Sacramento. It starts with my Dad and

music: growing up with a dad who’s a musician

and listening to music from the 1960s and ’70s.

What I didn’t know at the time was about the

hippie movement in the Bay and Los Angeles.

My parents grew up a little after that wave, but it

was still present. Growing up with that music and

culture in my house that was a huge influence.

My Dad also encouraged me to draw. I remember

him sitting me in front of the TV to draw from

a show called Secret City on PBS. I think I still

have the book around somewhere. I must’ve been

about eight or ten years old.

I really looked up to my older cousin, Loren,

and I started skateboarding when I was about 12.

At some point, he gave me his old deck. I think

I got the other parts from a toy board and added

bearings. It was super budget, but I was proud of it.

That was the beginning of me learning about a lot

of things, including hip hop. I think that was very

much a generational thing. My parents didn’t like

it, so maybe that’s why I was so curious. In junior

high, hip hop was everything. Breakdancing was

huge at my school. Graffiti was the art part of that

culture, and I gravitated naturally to it.

There were also the trains. I remember riding

the trains from San Jose to Sacramento and

C

Above: Smooth Sailing, Acrylic on canvas, 48” x 36”, 2018