I see myself as a fractal of a larger consciousness, a miniature infinity within an infinite whole. For me, painting is a form of alchemy: transmuting fleeting thoughts and emotions into essences distilled onto canvas. Each piece becomes a vessel for the intangible, a living body that reflects both the personal and the collective. I think of my works as nodes in a conscious network, a mirror of a neuron in the brain, or a star cluster in a galaxy.
Since 2022, my practice has shifted from pursuing perfection to presence. My focus lies not in representation but in resonance, in tracing how energy moves, how consciousness surfaces from unconscious processes, and how meaning accumulates in layers. Informed by spiritual traditions and quantum theories, my paintings inhabit the space between scientific inquiry and inner experience. Each becomes a transmutation site: a visual record of consciousness in motion, a glimpse into the unseen that precedes transformation.
Alongside painting, I extend these concerns into design. My furniture and sculptural objects echo the same language of form and presence, grounding interiors with organic monumentality while maintaining a dialogue between utility and sculpture. Together, these parallel practices form a holistic exploration of material, consciousness, and the spaces we inhabit.
CURRICULUM VITAE
Education
BACHELOR of fine arts
minor in electronic music
IRWIN SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT
KORET SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT
University of California Santa Cruz
2024
Group Exhibitions
2025
NImbash
Charles krug winery, st helena, ca.
2025
no theme, theme show
Covet gallery, oceanside, ca
2024
NImbash
Charles krug winery, st helena, ca.
2023
Blueprint.
sesnon gallery, Santa cruz, ca.
2023
salon de refuses.
four chicken gallery, san francisco, ca.
Solo Exhibitions
2023
Antithesis.
Eduardo Carrillo gallery, Santa cruz, ca
2022
HOME AWAY.
POP UP IN MY COLLEGE HOME, SANTA CRUZ, CA.
Maximilian von Strasser is an American artist living and working in Los Angeles. His practice bridges painting, sculpture, and sound, defined by a raw yet refined materiality. Known for his organic approach to abstraction, von Strasser explores the intersections of science and spirit, presence and process, tradition and experiment.