Mixed-media artist Law Blank explores the human experience while paying homage to some familiar faces in pop culture.

Early into his life, Law Blank whittled his future down to three distinct career choices: astronaut, baseball player, and artist. The first two didn’t quite pan out, but next year he will celebrate 40 years since he started making art. Blank considers himself a professional “glitterist.” Naturally, his eye-grabbing, imaginative, and interactive mixed-media works feature copious amounts of glitter.

“Art is an expression of all things inside us—joy and love and silliness and irreverence; it doesn’t have to be serious,” he says. “A lot of the general public is put off by that veneer of elitism, and that’s why I think galleries need to look and feel more inclusive.”

My closest friend knew early on that’s what he wanted to be an artist, and he’s still working as an artist today. Has art always been a North Star for you, too?

Always. Art has been a constant in my life, and I have never wavered. There were many years I took off from being an artist, but it always pulled me back in. I think taking those breaks helped the art.

How did you first get involved in mixed media?

In my heart, I’ve always been a mixed-media artist; I love experimenting, and I love using a combination of things in my work. The formal training I had gave me the foundation, the confidence and the ability to explore [the medium] with some level of expertise. Working in mixed media hits all the buttons for me. It’s also a great form of recycling.

Glitter is essential to your work. Tell me about glitter and what it brings to the table in your art.

Glitter has been relegated to the craft world for so long, but it’s an amazing medium. … I love the look of it, the glimpses of shine and shimmer and bursts of light. It led me to make one large painting completely out of glitter, and it turned out amazing. It changes virtually every second; if you move one millimeter, it will change your perspective of that painting. It’s active, alive. … It’s not easy to work with, but now I’m more sophisticated [with my process], and I have ways to recollect glitter so I don’t waste any. I’m actually working on a guide to working with glitter.

A lot of your work has pop-culture roots, particularly the lore and iconography of comic books. What is it about comic books that appeals you?

From a history standpoint, dating back to my childhood, comic books were everything. There’s an explosion of color in every frame, and that spoke to me. As an adult, I was away from comic books for a long time, and all the [Marvel] movies, starting with Iron Man, got me right back into comic book culture. I revere them, and I like interpreting that comic book style as an homage, but I would never profess to be a comic book artist.

One of your works, “What We Leave Behind,” is especially powerful. Some artists just want to make something that speaks to them, something cool to look at, while others hope to make a statement about something profound. How do you approach your work?

With works like “What We Leave Behind,” I want to offer more joy and love, less pessimism. 

Over the last year, things have pivoted for me, literally changing my outlook and perspective. My hope is that sometimes the work can help other people have these epiphanies. For me personally that’s why I do this work: to stimulate people’s thoughts, fears, aspirations. I would rather have something come out of me that’s positive, but I also recognize that we can’t understand joy and love unless we have some adversity. I think there’s room for all of it in the work, showing that contrast.

As I’m getting older—I’m 57 now—I feel compelled to say that it really is important for other artists to understand that creating a work of art is paramount to promoting it and selling it. I’ve talked to so many artists who are passionate about selling it and showing it on social media, but they don’t think as much about creating it. The process is important. Too many people are rushing to be something rather than just being.