“ I guess I’ m bullheaded,” he said, determined to pursue his lifetime passion.
Graduating from Arsenal Technical High School in Indianapolis in 1960, he immediately landed a job at Herff Jones Co., designing class rings and signet jewelry. His position as a commercial artist was one he kept for several years, interrupted by a stint in the U. S. Army, where he was an illustrator, working in Army intelligence. One of the projects he did for Herff Jones was the 1970 Super Bowl ring; Luke’ s design was chosen for the game, but the company failed to win the contract to produce it.
Luke and his father, Harold Buck, operated Pro Art Studio in Beech Grove for years, producing commercial art, selling art supplies and custom framing, and teaching up to 100 students a week.
“ You Lookin’ at Me,” watercolor.
“ Geneva Barn,” watercolor.
They closed the studio in 1981, and soon after, Luke and Coleen hit the road. They traded in an old beat-up van and trailer on an RV, and travelled across the country, doing up to 25 juried art shows a year, following the sun north in the summer and south in the winter.
“ You can’ t open a gallery and expect people to come to you. You’ ve got to go out and find them,” he said.“ Outdoor art shows are the best venue for artists starting out.”
During these travels, Luke refined his style. Most people want to buy art which represents the area in which they live, he said, so he painted landscapes wherever he went, and supplemented those pictures with wildlife. It’ s a formula he still keeps, with about half of his paintings now focused on landscapes.
“ I found out I could make a living doing what I want to do,” he said.“ As we travelled, my idea was to paint in every state.” Along the way, he hooked up with Mill Pond Press, one of the nation’ s leading print makers. In addition to his original paintings, Luke sells limited edition giclee prints of some of his work, though he
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