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SALT LAKE CITY -- Local artist Trevin Prince uses a rather unique medium to paint - his own blood. You could definitely say his heart goes into every piece. Artists pour their emotions and ideas into their work, Prince actually pours himself. His blood is the paint.
"All skin tones, hair, red background or even this table is done with my own blood," said Prince. "I usually have a registered nurse or a phlebotomist draw by blood for me and I just store it until I am ready to begin a painting."
Prince uses a complex variety of chemical to treat and preserve the blood which cause a shift in hue.
"Aging will change the color a little bit, and doing multiple layering will change the darks and the lights," he said.
Deep rich reds, soft subtle skin tones - even a faint violet are found in his still lifes. The color in his abstracts appears to move.
"A lot of the idea came, my family they are all in the medical field. I thought of becoming a doctor but decided to pursue my artistic talent."
Prince still had an interest in biology and anatomy. His artwork allows him to combine them all.
"It's pretty rare; I've only come across one of two people who do something similar but not quite the same."
His work was on display Halloween at an exclusive dinner, called "By Invitation Only," which changes location every month of the year. This year's October dinner was Halloween-themed.
He graduated from Utah State University last year and also studied in Germany. His work has already been featured in New York and San Francisco and he won best of Show at the Utah Arts Festival last year.
"Some people really enjoy it and others are scared by it."
Email: [jboal@ksl.com](<mailto: jboal@ksl.com>)
