Max Schmitz was born and raised in Clarksdale, Mississippi.  He graduated from the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree under then Department Head and talented artist, Jere Allen.  Schmitz dedicated himself to studying technique and methods during the summer of 1996, at the San Miguel Institute of Art in DeAllende, Mexico.  After college, he continued his studies under Delta native, Gerald DeLoach.  Schmitz says his greatest influences are DeLoach, Jason Bouldin, and Marshall Bouldin.  Schmitz’s works are featured in many public and private collections throughout the United States and he has exhibited in Oxford, Mississippi, at Frame Up Gallery and Southside Gallery.