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Max Rubio

"I am Max Rubio, or Maxou, and I was born in the southwest of France, in the fantastic 'Pays Basque' situated at the foot of the Pyrenees Mountains. As a sports enthusiast, rugby, surf, golf and Basque Pelota (as seen in Orlando, Tempa, Miami, Argentina, or Mexico), have all rocked my life. I lived through the 1968 world youth revolution, I was about 20 years old, and I became impregnated with rock music and the new hippy lifestyle. However, I made mine my parents' principles: 'Work hard to make your dreams come true; be honest, and give, give, give, and share... for one day you will receive!

"I studied marketing and accounting and after working in these fields for a few years, I felt the need to do something with my hands. I set up a workshop to create high fashion women's shoe parts (heels, outsoles, etc) and worked for the biggest names in the industry. Unfortunately, two big customers failed to pay large bills, which eventually killed my company. Bankrupt, banks took over my properties: my factory, my house, my car etc. Worse still, it destroyed my family. To my shame, alone and facing adversity, I decided to never look back. I left my good fortune and my parents to start a new challenge in Thailand. Here I found an opportunity to put to work my experience and my skills in a shoe factory. However, with the effects of China's growing economy on the rest of the world being significant, this company had to close down. Once again, I had to start from zero.

"Having expertise in making heels from acrylic, I tried to use this material in the home décor field. I then started creating and making unique home decorative items, such as mirrors, small furniture, lighting, and various objects more, all artistically oriented. My Thai partner started to sell from a car-booth and promoting the work I had created only the day before, in department stores. This "partner" is today my lovely boy's mother.

"We have grown step by step, and now we are in a position to offer employment to a few skilled workers. I taught them the techniques I had developed. This in turn, allowed me the opportunity to devote more time to design and create – creativity being my ultimate goal and my passion. However, I always craft the prototype of a new design.

"My inspiration comes from great artists' works, personal adaptations for a small part, and from the permanent observation of everything around me. I adapted ads, logos etc., but my designs come mainly from my own ideas. Naturally, my works reflects the sixties of my boyhood, Pop Art, and Kitsch Art, in a modern Latin version.

"I play with acrylic colors to illuminate your interiors. My exclusive creations are art, heart, and handmade, to reflect the 'colors of my mind,' which is my motto. Everyday, I am excited to discover how my touch magically transforms the materials. I will not return home unless I have experienced this sensation in a day's work."