Hola. My name is Michael Rosales. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, in the neighborhood of Koreatown. I received my B.F.A in Graphic Design from ArtCenter College of Design (Pasadena, CA).
As a person with a design and art practice, I respect that each has its own process. My design has a more structural and gridded method while my art is more intuitive and more expressive. I believe that my best work has originated when I am able to find ways to combine both practices, developing a technique through which design and aesthetics meld. I approach each new work with natural curiosity, exploring my environment in the service of uniquely compelling effects.
For the past 5 years a part of my practice has been designing and manufacturing 1.25 inch circle pinback buttons. I fucken enjoy finding new ways to created work in this predetermined space, scale and structure. From repurposing found & collected ephemera, to honoring friends’ work, to pastel drawings, to typographical designs, to nature like-leaf branches, and flowers, my favorite part about making buttons is the ability to make multiples and share them with people. It such a surreal experience to see people wear my roughly 3,000 buttons, all offered for free.
At the end of day, no matter what practice I use or what I make, all I am trying to do is communicate with and express myself to the fucken world.
