Featured Artist: Mitxel

Head into summer by imagining the warm sun on your face, the ocean waves crashing in the background, and one of these summer-inspired designs by DBH artist Mitxel. The self-described “eclectic” artist offers his audience the perfect summer getaway with brightly colored and playful designs. Whether it’s an adorable snail falling in love or a newly painted sky, everyone will feel like they’ve earned a well-deserved vacation.

Mitxel, or Mitxeldotcom, is a 42-year-old artist from the beautiful Donostia-San Sebastian in Basque Country. With more than 20 years in the design business, he has “learned different graphic styles and techniques” that allow him to create a diverse range of art styles and themes. He finds inspiration from the world around him like pop culture, movies, and television; still, his hobbies like scuba diving, photography, and travel also play a large role in his vision and shine through in his artwork.

As a creative designer and art director in his professional life, he has worked with international brands like L’Oréal, Volcom, Quiksilver, and more. His greatest hope for the future is that he can continue to create art and pursue his passion for design, whether it’s professionally or through another avenue like designing t-shirts for Design By Humans. In fact, one of his proudest accomplishments is his partnership with the DBH FanShop program to create officially licensed artwork for brands like Star Trek and Star Wars.

Mitxel is fortunate in that he’s never suffered from creative blocks. He confesses that even as a child “creativity is something that came out of me naturally.” He cannot deny his creative passion and art is impossible to “avoid” because it is simply a “natural way of human expression” for him. He encourages other artists to “trust in yourself and never give up” and – on a more pragmatic level – he also tells artists to carry a notebook because “ideas come out when you don't expect them.”