Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tuke. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tuke, appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I knew that I wanted to be an artist for most of my life.. both my parents are also artists and so I was encouraged to experiment with different mediums and techniques at an early age. However it’s quite difficult to narrow down the exact moment I knew this was what I would do for a living. Initially I think I just had an inclination to create, I didn’t really know where it would go. In high school I began more actively pursuing my skills and upon graduating I moved to Denver to attend art school upon starting I met another student who was a graffiti artist and I was intrigued from the onset. Something about doing illegal work around the city simply for the sake of painting and leaving it to have a life of its own appealed to me. I soon began painting murals for businesses that had seen my work. It was around this point that I had my first intuition that this is what I wanted to do with my life. However at that point of the early 90s graffiti and street art weren’t as accepted as they are today so initially I had a hard time and this took me away from my work for several years just trying to survive and make my way in the world. I quickly discovered that other means of income left me feeling a bit hollow as I knew in my heart that I needed to be creating in some way. Again it wasn’t an exact point but a culmination of many things that led me to the decision that I would push myself to grow and take on this challenge. I’ve had many obstacles to overcome on my journey but having been self employed by my art for over 10 years now and am grateful for it everyday. There is no quick fix in my opinion to achieve success.. my own experience has taught me that dedication, persistence, and maintaining a healthy mental state are the best tools to use. For me personally this means constantly challenging myself with new subject matter and techniques which keeps each situation unique and keeps me learning.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Tuke or Tukeone and I paint large scale murals and graffiti style work internationally. I have been painting graffiti since the early 90s and started working as a full time artist/muralist for many years. My style is influenced by nature and the world around me yet meshed with graffiti esthetics. Whether working large or small I have a certain attention to detail when creating these imaginative spaces that makes my work engaging. I love working on canvas and doing design work as well but my true passion is creating large scale work.
I live in denver currently but likely to find me traveling as I never know where the next adventure will take me.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me personally the best part of being an artist is the experiences you share with others while traveling and exchanging ideas. Seeing and feeling another’s culture in my opinion brings us all closer. Adapting to and being influenced by what’s around you brings a greater understanding of the world around us. Beyond that it gives people a sense of pride and ownership about their community to see great works of art that are easily accessible by everyone. This is a humbling process as we humans often go into situations with our own agendas. At the end of the day I’m just trying to do something positive for the world with the talent that I have and its very rewarding for that energy and passion to be reciprocated by people across the globe. Art is a universal language that speaks to us all.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

As mentioned above I’m just doing my best to share what I can with people and also experience the world through my work and travels. However there are other factors driving my work which all affect it in its own way. Growing up in a small town left me adventuring by myself a lot of the time, exploring nature and caught in my own imaginative world. This gave me a great appreciation for nature early on. I love being outside and witnessing the beauty all around us. I would consider myself an environmentalist in that I want this beauty preserved for the next to come. Beyond that I want my work to tell a story.. I enjoy creating these worlds that my visions exist in and keep challenging myself to grow these spaces into greater detail and clarity. Outside of those factors I suspect most creatives want to leave some kind of legacy behind that is significant of the time, my personal feeling is that we are seeing a modern renaissance in some ways as so many incredibly talented people are part of the graffiti and street art history and are still alive and thriving. I love the work that I do and the joy it creates for people and I want my legacy to be one of love, understanding and encouragement. By creating the work that I do I can plant the seed of hope in others minds that you can be/do whatever you put your mind to.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Linker.ee/tukeone
• Instagram: @tukeone @noahbitaboutit
• Facebook: Tuke DF Crew