Luke has been out of prison for one year as of September 2024. He was born in Kalispell, Montana in the 1980s. In the middle of a challenging childhood, Luke discovered something steady: art. He began doodling as a child and realized quickly that he had natural ability. Making things became a refuge.

In Luke’s own words:
My mother struggled with alcoholism and depression. When I was 12, she shot herself with my .22 cal pistol a few days before Christmas. She survived the gunshot wound to the lungs; however, the mother I knew was gone. She was never the same after that. Neither was I.
I searched for control or escape. I found it in painkillers. I became addicted to OxyContin. One Friday evening, like a thousand others, I drove my girlfriend and her two children to rent movies. While driving there, someone stepped out in front of my car. After the car came to a stop, I immediately called 911, then ran to his aid. The details of what I experienced next, and the scar it has left on my soul, is better left unsaid for now. He did not survive. I was charged with negligent homicide and sentenced to prison.
Throughout all of this, I did a lot of deep reflection and the objective truth is, I am deeply enmeshed into my periphery and everything in it. I realized how every decision I made created waves and ripples that plug into eternity, and that I was responsible for said waves and ripples. It took blood on the surface to get me to see the wounds that lie deep underneath.
All of this clarity emphasized what drugs had taken from me—everything. The magnitude of self-deception was embarrassing. So I wanted to make it really clear to myself, and any other that has been down that road, not to forget what rampant drug addiction costs—it costs everything, even life itself.
I know the almost overwhelmingly beautiful experience of getting to truly connect with others on deeper levels through the sharing of music, poetry, art, and just our journeys. To be a part of that, especially after what hurt I’ve done, is a gift and an honor. I am grateful for the opportunity. I hope we get more opportunities to share.
This past September 2024 was one year home. I intend to keep at it, as I feel a calling to it. The honor is mine.
“It has been such an honor and a privilege to get to be a part of the art of soul making. It’s given some meaning and some purpose to some of my struggle and my story. Getting to share my art with the world has also been really such an honor. It’s been like gaining a new family, a new circle of people to connect and create with. Such an honor, such an honor. Thank you so much.”