Rising star in the digital art world

Dale Lucore proves that great art springs from the quality of the artist, not the value of his equipment - even for producing digital art.

"I have an ancient computer: a Pentium 3 and an old Gateway I bought for $10 at a garage sale," Lucore said with a laugh.

Working from his cabin in the woods of Eureka, the reclusive artist recently created waves in the abstract art world with his "pure digital creations." Lucore's work now rivets visitors in galleries from London to Cape Town, South Africa, and Los Angeles to New York.

Compared by some to the work of Salvador Dali, Lucore's complex creations feature layers of images, fearsome to joyful, abstract to verging on realism, executed in vibrant color to tone on tone.

Lucore is as unusual as his work.

Rather than wishing for personal wealth and fame, Lucore plans to use his success to open a multimedia art center/gallery in Eureka to expose youths to art. The town has not even one gallery.

This art center idea emerged when he went through a midlife crisis recently.

"I'm going to be 46 on the 17th," he said. "I stepped back and took a look at what I'd done. What I'd like to do is more for other people."

Lucore said he dislikes promoting himself except as a means to help his chosen home town. He even shuns having his photograph taken because he said "it isn't about him - it's about his art."

If asked for a photograph, he submits one taken in the 1980s when he joined the Marine Corps - an experience that changed his life.

"I'm a 100 percent disabled vet," he said. "I was in and out of VA hospitals for years."

Lucore suffered a major, service-connected head injury. His disability causes him to struggle for words at times.

However, he found a silver lining from the accident related to his lifelong proclivity for art.

"The injury made me more artistic," he said.

For rehabilitation, the VA sent him to a variety of colleges and universities where he studied oils to acrylics, photography, printing and film making. He chose art over film because it sets the viewer free from manipulation.

"A director producing a movie looks for a laugh here and a tear there," Lucore said. "I manipulate the context, not the art. I can't tell you what to see."

Lucore settled on digital as his art medium. It was an economy move as much as anything else because of the cost of art supplies such as a $30 to $40 tube of paint.

Computer painting eliminates economic barriers.

"I can use as much sienna as I want," he said.

Using the mouse as his brush set and a computer screen as canvas, he creates striking original art.

He compares it to an architect creating custom designs using AutoCAD. Lucore uses Photoshop software to build the images that flow from his imagination.

"I don't manipulate photographs," he said. "I do pure digital art from scratch."

Because of the Internet, Lucore was able to ply his trade in tiny Eureka. The artist lived in various places in the Pacific Northwest before finally calling Montana home.

"It keeps dragging me back," he said. "My dad was from here. I love this area."

His sister Kathy Herres also still lives in Eureka.

From his isolated cabin, he produces about one work a day. Lucore uses Kodak

Labs out of Chicago to reproduce his art.

"I just finished a two-piece thing dealing with Montana," he said.

He doesn't feel limited by the age of his computer but he admits he would love to upgrade to a newer machine and software with a 60-inch LCD monitor and a large canvas printer.

His recent splash on the international art scene may soon make Lucore's dreams come true.

According to Lucore, his breakthrough started with designing cover art for a Montana rock 'n' roll band's recording. It started a network of contacts rolling that ended up which him talking with Charles Saatchi, owner of Saatchi Gallery in London.

Saatchi's online magazine featured the Web site SpreadArt.net. Lucore was one of 10 international artists featured on the site with video links available on YouTube.com.

"It just exploded from there," Lucore said.

The artist can't keep his voice mail from filling up each day. He said he used to only get one call a day - from his sister.

With the Web exposure, Lucore hooked up with numerous galleries including two in New York and one in South Africa.

"Gallery people are really utilizing the Internet now," he said.

He has had several galleries sponsor him into major competitions including a juried competition of photography and digital art in Los Angeles. Lucore also has an invitation to participate in the prestigious Florence Biennale in Italy.

Yet the big time hasn't eclipsed his pride in taking best of show in art at the Lincoln County Fair. Comments from those judges in a postscript reflect the international reaction.

"All amazed!"

People interested in viewing Lucore's work online will find his work displayed at SpreadArt.net and Art.com. People may contact him by e-mail at daleinside@yahoo.com.

He makes his work accessible to every budget from posters available for $12.99 to limited editions that cost from $250 to $1,000 to originals for $25,000.

Other Web sites, too, feature Lucore and his art.

"I'm Google-able now," Lucore said with a laugh. "I thought that was pretty neat. I'm cyber-famous."

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com