Enter the mind of Mike Maxwell

Mike Maxwell's solo exhibition at Subtext shows an interesting transition.

Maxwell, an artist known for his blue-faced portraits of historical figures, has begun to loosen up his tight, detailed style. He's adding brighter, psychedelic colors and allowing organic, abstract shapes to float around both in the background and foreground of his new work.

"I'm letting unconscious thought take place," Maxwell tells us in this week's podcast. "....There's a looseness to it."

Maxwell says the whole experience of art making is different now. With his older work, his entire body is tensed up. He grasps his brushes as close to the tip as possible to get the detailed fine lines. With his new work, he's holding the brushes at the opposite end, letting his hands move more freely through his compositions.

Click play to hear more about why Maxwell made the change and learn about his real-life experiences—salvia trips, growing into adulthood and lessons learned producing his own podcast—which are responsible for inspiring his newest body of work.

Extra Sensory: New Works by Mike Maxwell is on view at Subtext in Little Italy through June 19. Big thanks to San Diego band Cry for Us Black Swans for letting us use their track, "Fear of Sleep," in this week's podcast.

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