Maxx Moses…Collaboration with San Diego’s MTS

January 24th, 2022 | mrmaxxmoses

There were two determining factors that ignited the Color the Corridors, Mural project. In 2010 Miguel Godoy, Todd Stands and Maxx Moses were commission to create, Liquid Harmony mural, at the 62nd. & Encanto trolley station. This mural had such an impact on the community that new developments built in that area extracted colors from that mural onto the facades entrance. In 2019, On the day of the free trolley ride Maxx picked up his 10-year-old son from school and took them on a trolley ride throughout the city, getting off and on wherever they chose. Along the journey Maxx noticed and began taking photos of all the dull, blank walls at the trolley stations along the way. He thought this trip could be an adventure if these walls were covered with his art. He also thought that more people would use the trolley if there was more art, and that this presence of art would create a synergy of safety, enthusiasm and economic growth for underserved communities. The following day Maxx traversed the orange line taking his son downtown to school from Lemon Grove. Then the idea blossomed, could Maxx Moses transform the southeast corridor into a visual adventure? In 2018, he revitalized the Liquid Harmony mural, and he felt the time was ripe to bring is idea to fruition.
He immediately drafted up a proposal that included concepts, pricing and dates for 3 trolley stations to be beautified along the orange line, in 2019, but it was denied. However, two years later he got a call from MTS, stating that they wanted to revisit the Color the Corridor proposal and bring it to life.

December 2021 the first mural, titled “the Cosmic Level” @ Massachusetts avenue was completed. Maxx stayed close to the original concept submitted, but naturally incorporated influences from the present moment. For example, often in the mornings a swarm of birds would dance across the sky, so Maxx incorporated this activity into the mural. Also, the artery’s that extended from the heart were originally designed in gold. But Maxx decided to paint them blue, orange and green, the colors of San Diego, trolley system.
The overall engagement surrounding this project was encouraging, each day people purposefully drove by to exchange ideas and their interpretations of what was blossoming in their neighborhood. Maxx says, “It always feels good to have people ask questions and comment on what I am creating… most of the time they ask me what is the meaning behind the concept? And my response is always… what do you see?

Thank you for giving me life

February 9th, 2020 | mrmaxxmoses

2020 has begun and once again it’s time for Maxx Moses to travel the world, but before he takes flight lets his share some of his creative adventures thus far. December, 2019 closed with the creation of a mural for Maxx’s new friend and collector Jim Giles.
Jim is always the first person Maxx interacts with at the Sunday Gaslamp Artisan Market, downtown San Diego. The diverse conversations between engineer and artist are inspiring and always set a good vibe for selling art. Most of the time Jim makes a purchase and recently he’s launched an online store for Artists called @ Fanoggin.com. Here you can find and array of artist works that Jim loves and wants to make accessible to the public. This lead to Jim’s idea of having a mural created outside his office. He left the concept totally up to Maxx with one request that the imagery reflected technology. Maxx’s ideology centers around the technology of being human and for Jim’s wall it’s all about the power of the mind, the technology of connectedness and the rich history of the Black Man’s presence on Planet Earth.

When in San Diego go visit this mural person in, its right across from Grants Market, in South Park.
Maxx stepped into 2020 with the clear vision of honoring his eternal connection to his Mother, the Late Marion Hopkins. It was supported by supplies from Artist Craftsman and Supply in San Diego and the Hitzke Development corp. This mural served not only as a dedication to Maxx’s mother but also a tribute to all mothers and their sons. Throughout the mural making process Maxx interviewed Mothers and sons live on Instagram #sonmommylovesyou.

These touching stories evoked a lot of emotion and attracted a new beautiful being into the world of Maxx Moses. Daniell, is her name, the same birth name as Maxx and same zodiac too. Daniell was so moved by one of the #sonmommylovesyou interviews and the vision of the artist she commissioned Maxx to create a mural within her home.
immediately Upon meeting their kindred spirits bonded, effortlessly Maxx went to work developing a concept for Daniell’s home. Maxx feels the mural is technically a perfect blend of spray paint and brush work. From the design perspective he is also pleased with the incorporation of letters fused with figurative imagery. More importantly Daniell is pleased so they are both happy… photos coming soon!
So the years has begun and the next creative adventure for Maxx is back to Africa, into the country of Botswana where he will collaborate with artist from that region on two murals and lecture at two universities. Fortunately, this is where he will spend his coming birthday, in the Motherland. So stay tuned and follow the entire journey That begins February 21st. on Instagram @maxxmoses777.
Peace blessings and remember, “Every human is an Artist”

Son, Mommy Loves You

December 18th, 2019 | mrmaxxmoses

Son, Mommy loves you

2020 begins with a mural I will dedicate to my mother the late Marion Hopkins. The photo is a mockup of a mural that I will be painting in the alley behind the Studio door in Hillcrest, 3867 4th. Avenue. The bottom half is complete the top part is not done yet. It is not a project I am not being paid to do. it is a dedication to all mothers and sons. This year I witnessed some of my best friends losing their mom’s and I understand how deeply that impacts a son’s life. I observe my youngest son and witness how much he loves his mom and how much she loves him. Still in the afterlife Marion Hopkins comforts my soul and communicates with me, conveying love, courage, determination and the guidance to live out my life’s purpose. It was her insistent desire to create and unpredictable nature that fostered my curiosity and reason to question everything. Her adventurous spirit inspired travel and exploration in my soul which ultimately lead me to find the Art form that opened the door to my inner evolution, Graffiti. My calm cool demeanor, that’s pops influence all the way. But mommies unorthodox approach to life and undeniable quest for freedom resonates deep within my being. So as we welcome in 2020, I’d like to begin with an homage to Mothers and their connection to sons. Opening the year with a gateway of appreciation, adoration, love and connectedness. That umbilical cord type connectedness that physically is cut but spiritually is never severed. I know this, because I can hear my mother often saying… Son, Mommy Loves You.
I buy 80% of my art supplies at Artist Craftsman and Supply, the staff there is amazing. I told them about my concept “Son, Mommy Loves You” and they are supporting my vision by suppling all the materials to bring this project to fruition.
The momentum is building but and I need help getting to the top of that wall. So I scissor lift with an elbow arm is required to make this job complete. Also some good music, food and energy from art lovers and supporters. Most of the time I am painting alone but not this time. This time I want to feel your presence to be there from the start to the finish. This Process is a celebration of connection, an invitation to Mothers and their sons, families and friends to experience the creative process and the connection of love through Art.

Saturday January 18th. through Monday January 20th. More details and how you can participate coming SOON!

New Eyes= New Opportunity

December 16th, 2019 | mrmaxxmoses

After my experience in Russia painting a 20 story mural on high rise apartment building I returned to the states with new eyes. Seeing opportunity everywhere I approached a newly built apartment complex in my neighborhood of Lemon Grove. I walked into the office and introduced myself to the actual owner of the property, Ginger Hitzke. I told her I was interested in doing some art on her buildings. She smiled and laughed and said yes and I’ve been looking for an Artist, Bam. Follow your gut and live your dreams. I developed some concepts and put together a proposal. As we are waiting for all the details of that project to work out she said in the meantime can you paint a mural in my office. I developed a design that I thought would fit in her space and not too overwhelming.

She loved the design then went to my Facebook page and said. I really like the vivid colors you use. Can you add those colors to my mural? I responded oh so you want me to go off then? Yes, please do was her response.

Maxx Moses and the Green New Deal

December 14th, 2019 | mrmaxxmoses

In Late September Maxx Moses was approached by the San Diego branch of the Green New Deal to develop branding and create some live art. The branding aspect included Maxx developing and images and using some of his uplifting quotes and phrases within their campaign promoting clean energy and economic inclusion. When he was asked to participate in this project he did some research on the organization and felt his core values and beliefs were in sync with what the Green New Deal stand for and agreed to sign on. Below are the images that Maxx created for their branding and live painting event.

The Value of Partnerships

November 13th, 2019 | mrmaxxmoses


A few years ago I was doing some research on art in San Diego and I came across this interview on KPBS that spoke about murals in Southeast San Diego. The feature was about The Urban Collaborative Project and the organizations Director, Barry Pollard. I was like who is this person and why don’t I know him, better yet why doesn’t he know me? I reached out to my good friend and Director of the NAACP, Clovis Honoree and asked do you know Barry Pollard and can you introduce us? Upon our first meeting Barry and I had a great conversation, talking about community art, social justice, empowerment and just getting a feel of how we both think and operate.
A year later in 2017 a dear friend forwarded me an application for the San Diego Foundation Creative Catalyst program which is a $20,000 grant from the San Diego Foundation. The Award was created to help propel established and emerging artist to the next phase of their career. The grant is gifted to individual artist, partnering with a Non-Profit organization. Instantly I thought of Barry and the Urban collaborative project, we applied and won the grant.
Through the Creative Catalyst grant we executed two landmark workshops “Family Splatters” and “Every Human is an Artist” and our Permanent art installation “The Mines Eye”, an outdoor kaleidoscope built out of bicycles (that now resides at the Gathering Place @ 101 50th. street San Diego).

The most valuable asset obtained throughout this experience is the value of partnerships. What began as a vision inspired by a simple toy kaleidoscope and pure determination was actualized through a series synchronized partnerships. Francisco Contreras Yee, A Reason To Survive, Students from Sweetwater and Morse High schools as well as a host of volunteers and vendors all contributed to our vision.

As the partnership between Urban collaborative Project and myself (Maxx Moses) continues to flourish, 2020 promises to bring even more creative opportunities to Southeast San Diego. Our recent project Uncontained, is a tricked out container @ the Gathering Place, with the interior designed for multi-purpose usage and the exterior painted to inspire your mind.

American Graffiti In Russia

September 20th, 2019 | mrmaxxmoses


They went to Russia to represent the art form of Graffiti with a collection of past FX crew members who’ve titled themselves “the Antidote”. Comprised of Pilot, from Houston TX. Poem and Jamie Hef from New York City. Yama, from Italy. Koka, from Mexico, Bert, from Germany and Pose2, aka Mr. Maxx Moses from California. Individually each member carries with him his own distinct style but collectively they are a dynamic force that forges a unique blend of nostalgic and modern letter forms with futuristic concepts. And this is exactly why they were invited to Morphogenesis 2019.

Planning for the adventure to Russia, Pose 2 wanted to make a strong first impression. So he dug into his closet and pulled out his vintage 1983 Graffiti Painted denim jacket. When he landed in Moscow he was greeted by journalist Anja and Photographer Andrew who both spoke good English. Pose was excited to be in Moscow and they picked up on his vibe right away. Immediately Andrew started shooting and Anja began interviewing him. Pose was like Dam I just got off the plane. But they already understood that he had a long history in Graffiti so they wanted to seize the opportunity.
When Pose arrived at the Morphogenesis festival he was mind blown. “He said to himself dam this is happening in Russia, twenty story buildings getting blessed with art?”


The community of buildings was like a city onto itself with at least fifty high rise apartments all in one area. And forty of them were in the process of becoming painted. There was an enthusiasm beginning to spread throughout between the community and the artist. Pose mentioned how those who could speak English genuinely expressed their joy in having the artist transforming their neighborhood. “It was amazing people invited us into their homes to eat, talk, sing and enjoy the culture. This feeling of international connectedness really made it easy for the artist to feel at home away from home.”

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However, Pose was on a mission and had two things at the forefront of his mind. First, to see the building they were assigned to paint and secondly, go up on the swing stage and experience what it feels like being twenty stories high in the sky. The entire antidote team knew this mural was going to be a challenge. And They were faced with a lot of unknowns throughout the process. Things went extremely slow at first and this created tension amongst the crew. With only two weeks to complete their wall five days had already zoomed by and barely a scratch had been made on the wall.


Frustration chaos and the fear of failure was not just looming it became real. Most of the murals created were single images where the entire team worked collectively on the production. This wasn’t the case for the Antidote crew, each section had to be done individually. Tempers flared and egos clashed so a schedule was devised. Daily from 6am to 9pm each artist had approximately three hours to work on their section of the wall. The blessing in disguise was this left a lot of down time for crew members to go throughout the festival to create and connect with the community. “We are artist and we are most happy when we are creating.” says Pose2.
Perhaps this is why this unique group of individuals call themselves the Antidote Pose explains. “We took the Art Form of Graffiti along with our fears and insecurities and flipped it into the most dynamic awe inspiring art movement of all time. Now that’s medicine, that’s the Antidote. We are transforming communities throughout the world with an art form that the world once hated. Ironically our art now transmits an universal language that inspires and connects people to joyfulness, now that’s power.”


“American Graffiti” is the title of their Sky Scraper. The concept was orchestrated by the Italian artist Yama. But it’s the imagery of Bert and Koka that give the mural it’s story. Graffiti became famous back in the 70’s when teenagers took risk and were courageous enough to go out and paint their names on the sides of trains and buildings. Before the age of the internet kids pushed their faces deep into graffiti magazines to see who had freshest style and this is how the tradition spread throughout the world.
Pose feels like this mural is a tribute to honor the tradition of Graffiti and New York the city that made it famous. He states that the large scale triangles depicted within the mural are like futuristic beams on the inside of the building. It’s the framework the structure the skeleton inside the body. Resting on these bones are the styles, these names represent the identity the soul and raw self–expression. “Throughout all my travels I’ve come to realize that self-expression is the most important part of being human.”
“Watch a brother blend a dope rhyme with no help there’s no fessing or guessing while I’m expressing myself. It’s crazy to see people be what society wants them to be but not me…”
Express Yourself, Dr. Dre NWA

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THE COLOR OF SOUND

March 21st, 2018 | mrmaxxmoses

The idea of creating a mural @Fair 44 began with an inspiring conversation between Tayari, of the Dojo Café, and Maxx Moses. A storage shed had just been built on site that was screaming for color. As their conversation elevated the idea of involving select students from the Stephan Hawking Charter school began to crystalize. Maxx returned to school and shared the idea with Mr. Miles the music teacher. The two of them had been collaborating all year with Art and Music and thought it be great to actualize this practice within a real life setting. However, their idea became complete once they decided to involve dance, thus Ms. Cybelle, the Dance teacher completed trio and the Color of Sound was born.
Their goal, create an interactive experience with 3 groups of 13 students who rotated every 45 minutes between mural making, dance and drumming all under the direction of the respective teachers.
The outcome was amazing students smiled, laughed and learned throughout the day. Parents participated too. The drumming and dance fed the mural making process and students took on the task of painting with joy and guided professionalism. The coolest parts of the day were the spontaneity that burst through when the dance circle formed and the student’s teachers and parents all had a chance to breakdance… what a day.

The Conscious Life

February 27th, 2018 | mrmaxxmoses

About a month ago if discovered this magazine titled the Conscious life Expo. Immediately I thought I have to be there. I need to be in Los Angeles within the company of healers, Psychics, shamans etc. I wanted to share my art within this circle of individuals. I looked inside the booklet and seen the show was only weeks away and all the booth spaces were sold out. But there was a phone number listed so I called and left a message of how I had to be there and how my work was such the right fit for that audience. Two days later a woman returned my call She was hip to the works of Maxx Moses and was glad I wanted to be a part of the show! Our conversations were inspiring and we just kind of hit it off, synchronically. She expressed to me what I’d already read, that all the spaces were sold out but… she would do all in her power to insert me into the show… and before we hung up she said once you get into the show something will happen some magic will happen.

So yes a space opened up for me and I arrived Friday February 9th. to set up and sell. Although I was grateful to be in the show and granted so much kindness, the booth location was wack. The following day I ventured upstairs only to see my fellow artist and friend Mear One front and center at the show, right at the entrance, dam what a location. We chatted for a while and like always I was brainstorming of how we could make our presence even stronger at this event next year. Then I said to Mear, let me think on some ideas for the future tonight and well talk about it again tomorrow. Tomorrow he says. Oh I won’t be here tomorrow! What I said out loud then I’ll take your space tomorrow. All good he says… the magic begins. Prior to this across from me was this healer and body worker, named Bobby Helm who just did some body work on my friend Crystal. The noises she omitted and the expression on her face encouraged me to trust the process. She was like do, it treat yourself. So I did, Bobby gave me a consultation poked around my mid-section and said you spend money getting your car tuned up and running, do the same for your body… hmmm the mid-section here is where I need to do most of the work, lie down. He went right to it, pressed directly into some area on my midsection and I whaled as he continued to press I could feel the trapped energy releasing from that area in the body, and he continued. It was rigorous and stimulating, when he was finished I just remained there as my eyes released endless tears of relief. Wow I said aloud I didn’t realize my body had been storing so much trapped energy. Emotionally I was at least 25 pounds lighter. Then Bobby says to me, now watch how your life changes!… Natural magic, I end up in prime time front and center at the Conscious Life Expo… sharing my gifts with the world.

The Seeds of Creativity

December 18th, 2017 | mrmaxxmoses

As of July 2017 I’ve had the pleasure of taking on the position of Artist in Residence in Chula Vista at the Stephan Hawking Charter School. This position offers me the opportunity to encourage and inspire young students from kindergarten to 6th grade. The campus, teachers and staff are truly amazing. There is an active farm facilitated by Good Neighbor Gardens, along with a vibrant music and dance program. During the summer we had some professional teacher training sessions focusing on Project Based Learning. As teachers we were challenged to create and implement this methodology into our programs. Since my mural art career is project oriented the ideology was a seamless fit for my teaching style. I was glad to see this type of learning was being implemented in the school system and I understand how satisfying it feels to set goals and develop concepts and see them come to fruition. It’s also common for failed attempts and unforeseen occurrences to arise during these projects and this is when your intuition and improvisation can be utilized to create new ideas and solve problems. This Is where I feel art plays a significant role in the development of the individual and as the Artist in Residence this is what I want activate within my students. Personally I’ve learned to use unknowing as an instrument of inspiration instead of hesitation when creating art and I want to encourage my students to be fearless even when the outcome is unclear.

One of the coolest things about taking on this position is that the Principle herself is an artist, a dancer, so she truly understands the importance of art and how valuable it is in shaping the hearts and minds of students. Upon hiring me I was afforded the opportunity to create my own curriculum. My initial goal was to get to know the students, uncover what art supplies were available and allow them to simply enjoy making art. For at least the first three weeks from a teaching perspective It was all intuition and improvisation I had no plan. It was the learning curve for all of us. It was awesome, they explored pastels, painting, chalk, collage, building, destroying they were stoked and so was I. The enthusiasm on campus was bubbling there was art taking place.

I now had a sense of purpose and my goal as Art Educator is to first instill that every human is an artist! And that everything is art! With this as my objective I began to determine how and what was essential that every human should know and understand about art. I used math as a means of comparison. stating that if students can grasp concreate ideas about math like 1+1= 2, 2+2=4 then what fundamental concepts should students understand about art that they will never forget? Hence I began to see how I needed to formulate my curriculum. First I began by questioning the students. What is color? Where does it come from? What is art? Where is art? And during this process I allowed the students to answer the questions spontaneously without raising their hands. Wow this created a lot of animated excitement their answers were blurted out ideas of raw intelligence. I was inspired as the gleam in their eyes and panting breath showed me they were ready to create and I was now challenged to develop a curriculum to match their energy… wow, let’s get this party started.
Every classroom had a rainbow in it but when I asked how many colors are in the rainbow there was no consist answer. However, when I asked what 1+1 or what 2+2 equals there was. This happen in every class. Yeah I thought to myself I am in the right place at the right time. I’m going to make art a vibrant and potent part of these students lives but also applicable as applied science… Party On!
Maxx Moses

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