The Life of an Artist

wwLuke Rawlings artwork plastered on the side of an abandoned building in the middle of town. This piece is an assortment of many of his artworks.

Rawlings picked this spot for the traffic that comes through from all over town.

BY SHELBIE HEATH

Luke Rawlings was born in a small town in Kentucky, so the thought of hitting it big never crossed his mind. Art was always a hobby for Rawlings but when life hit him for the worst, he came out with a successful career.

He grew up around Hillview in Bullitt County, Kentucky. He chose a spot in Mount Washington to post his art and this was a big deal for people in the community. “It is an awesome spot and there’s a lot of traffic right there,” Rawlings said. He put up these pieces because he thought it needed to be done. “I can’t remember something that happened that made me feel like I needed to put up a bunch of art, so I went out there and put all that up,” Rawlings said. “Each piece of art has its own meaning, one about Afghanistan and the others about what is happening in our everyday world,” he said. The art work that he puts out is an exaggerated version of what the world could turn to if these problems escalate.

Rawlings’ work is made out of wheat paper which is different from other artists. This type of art is biodegradable. Wheat paper is flour and sugar mixed in boiling water so it’s not harmful to the environment. Like street art, his work is only up for so long but comes with a meaningful message.

Work is a place where some people dread going, but for Rawlings it’s a way to express his ideas and feelings. Putting up art from Nashville to Los Angeles and more across the country, that came with a price. When he was around 17 years old he had unexpected health problems and later on broke his shoulder, this pain now affects his drawing. When his pain gets rough, his wife keeps him going.

Disney is a place where kids go to see their dreams come to life and for Rawlings, it’s where possibilities were created. As he walked into the drawing room for the first time, right in front of him were drawings and layouts of movies being created and it turned on a light for Rawlings. “So I started drawing and have been kind of doing it all since then,” Rawlings said.

Reality got to him and he looked at the world in a more realistic way, and the dream then faded. An unexpected health problem that put him in a hospital from ages 17 to 25 that put a stop on everything. Rawlings had a seizure that caused him to break his shoulder and shatter his arm. He has had two shoulder replacements on his left side and has a metal plate in his arm because it broke into four pieces. After Rawlings’ second surgery, he was upset and questioned whether there was more to life than this. “I didn’t know what I was gonna do so I just started trying to start a business,” Rawlings said.

When Rawlings’ wife had cancer, he tried to do everything in his will to make her happy so he started to draw again. He started doing t-shirt designs and this unlocked something in Rawlings; it made him want to do more. “She was the first one to tell me that I needed to start going full throttle and since then I’ve been doing like 8 hours a day, at least drawing,” Rawlings said. His wife was always pushing him to be the best possible version of himself even in dark times.

Some people make each other flourish and that’s how Rawlings and his wife are. “She makes me strive to be a better artist just makes me want to be a better person,” Rawlings said. Before they met he was in a very dark place, every chance of a normal life got crushed down. Later on, they started dating and finally got married 5 years ago. “I know she just, she saw something in me that, you know, I wanted someone else to see, but I guess didn’t really believe that it was there,” Rawlings said.

Rawlings is now creating artwork almost everyday. His goal is to open eyes, unite and coordinate against what’s going on in the world in his view. Rawlings has been able to create a wellrounded career for himself by reaching out to celebrities and making music videos for songs. This made him push harder and made him want to achieve more. Traveling to twenty two states putting up artwork is how Rawlings achieved his platform.

Hardships is what makes you a great artist and that’s what makes him who he is. Rawlings is now living on making his art and he wouldn’t change it for the world.