The Devil's Luck

Mixed media tends to refer to a work of visual art that combines various traditionally distinct visual art media. For example, a work on canvas that combines paint, ink, and collage could properly be called a "mixed media" work. When creating a painted or photographed work using mixed media it is important to choose the layers carefully and allow enough drying time between the layers to ensure the final work will have integrity. If many different media are used it is equally important to choose a sturdy foundation upon which the different layers are imposed. Many interesting effects can be achieved by using mixed media. Often, found objects are used in conjunction with traditional artist media, such as paints and graphite, to express a meaning in the everyday life. In this manner, many different elements of art become more flexible than with traditional artist media. I am a Pittsburgh based artist who has spent time working as an embalmer in funeral homes. My paintings are made using acrylic paint, shellac, wood and nails and tell stories about death, devils and saints. I'm greatly influenced by The Day of the Dead, Halloween, horror films, churches, The German Expressionists and my time in funeral homes. A designer toy store…In Arizona?!? Are you nuts? Yes, I am nuts but that's not the point. I moved to Taiwan in 97' and it didn't take me too long to get lost into toys. It started off simple - this little skull figure from Hot Dog Toys called Hallowteens. That was pretty much that. Oh sure, at first only bought little figures, but it wasn't long before I realized I'd spent several hundreds of dollars on $5 toys. Fast forward a couple years. I ended up getting shipwrecked back home in Tucson. I thought it would be over but it wasn't long before I was spending $50 bucks at a time on .50 cent Homies. There were tons of trips to Wacko in LA, Toy Tokyo in NY, and all types of random websites. While that was all fine and dandy I wanted more… my needs just weren't getting met. I had to take matters into my own hands. This has really been a labor of love. I geek out on this stuff probably more than you do. ~Luke Rook