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BY MEGAN GLOSS megan.gloss@thmedia.com 8 hrs ago
BY MEGAN GLOSS megan.gloss@thmedia.com 8 hrs ago

Event: “How to Win a Million Dollars and Beep Glitter! A Mostly True Misadventure,” by Luke Stoffel, book signing and reading.

Times/dates: 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, June 14 (book signing); 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 17 (reading).

Site: River Lights Bookstore, 1098 Main St.

Cost: Free, with books available for purchase.


Luke Stoffel has always been full of towering aspirations.


Growing up as a gay Catholic schoolboy in Dubuque, the 46-year-old writes on the back of his debut memoir that his imagination “burned with million-dollar dreams and DIY hustles. Whether gaming McDonald’s Monopoly or chasing the missing Cap’n Crunch, no scheme was too ridiculous, no shortcut too far-fetched.”With his little sister in tow, his trusty Hustler bike and often nursing a bloody nose from his antics on the playground, Stoffel’s goals only grew more mountainous.After embarking upon musical theater in high school and graduating from Iowa State University in 2001, he moved to New York City and landed on Broadway. Later, he swapped everything for a life in Paris, got cursed by a Hawaiian god and traveled throughout more than 40 countries, which inspired a range of bold and colorful contemporary paintings that captured his views on the spiritual and sacred.


He has had his award-winning work featured in the New York Times and Huffington Post, among other publications; showcased at prestigious New York City venues; and even completed a commissioned piece for Ralph Lauren’s daughter.“I was always looking for that next thing that was going to make me a success,” Stoffel said in a phone interview. “And through it, I found failures. A lot of failures. But I also stumbled upon some surprising successes.”As Stoffel also writes, it proved that “sometimes the journey is better than the jackpot. Because maybe, just maybe, there’s still a million-dollar prize out there waiting to be won.”Earlier this year, Stoffel dipped his toes into yet another venture, releasing his first book, a memoir titled, “How to Win a Million Dollars and Beep Glitter! A Mostly True Misadventure.


”The “cautionary fairy tale” documents his middle class misadventures through failure and success, all on the premise of “how to win a million dollars.”“I’m not what I would call a writer,” Stoffel said, with a laugh. “But I started writing down stories I remembered from my childhood in 2016 and continuing to cobble them together over the next almost 10 years, as I had jobs and lost jobs and embarked upon many side hustles as a working artist, all the time. And it turned into something magical. It’s really a story about ambition and trying as hard as you can, even when obstacles are put in your way. It’s vulnerable, but I tried to approach it in a humorous and fun way.


”With rainbow-colored page edges, the book also ties in 1980s nostalgia, opening with a “Book It!” pin photo and a single gold star to “redeem for a free personal pan pizza at any participating Pizza Hut!”It also contains inspiring quotes, stickers; and pages of family photos, his artwork and images from his travels across the globe.Upon its release, the book became an Amazon No. 1 best-seller.Stoffel will return to his Dubuque stomping grounds for a book signing from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 14; followed by a reading at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 17. Both will take place at River Lights Bookstore in Dubuque.


“Promoting the book has been one of my favorite parts of this process,” he said.Reviews for the book have been positive.Kirkus Reviews wrote, “This is a raucously funny book, with raffish prose full of self-deprecating humor regarding the distance between exalted pretensions and awkward reality. The result is a luminous tribute to the inestimable value of not quite getting what you want.


”Additionally, Publisher’s Weekly wrote, “The combination of memoir with a perceptive judgment of America’s often-empty vision of success is powerful”; with Midwest Book Review adding, “Readers who may have thought ‘Catcher in the Rye’ and other coming-of-age stories held wry humor along with insights will find these classics must take a step back for contemporary authors such as Luke Stoffel.


”Stoffel is in the process of authoring his second book, “In Over Your Head,” a journey not about finding oneself, but about “watching the life you built collapse — online, on camera and underwater — and realizing: You are what you repeat.”“I’ve been surprised at the success of it,” Stoffel said of his debut effort. “But really, I think people identify with it because we’re all in that place at different stages of our lives, trying to get ahead in life. Especially growing up as a gay kid in a Catholic school in Dubuque, things were very hard at times. I wanted to be sure to share where this kid came from and how he dared to dream his own reality.”

New York, NY

Follow me on instagram: @lucasstoffel 


The Empress: A Regal Presence on Washington Square Park

In a world where luxury meets art, few things are as captivating as the seamless blend of fine living and artistic expression. My latest work, “The Empress,” a 48" x 72" acrylic on canvas, captures this very essence of opulence and creativity. It’s an ideal centerpiece for spaces as extraordinary as the $26.5 million Greenwich townhome recently featured by Ryan Serhant, known for his shows on Netflix, Owning Manhattan and Million Dollar Listing.


Just steps from Washington Square Park, this historic West Village trophy townhouse was also featured in a 2023 episode of The Kardashians. Once the East Coast love nest of Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott, it has been highlighted in prestigious publications like Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, The New York Post, 6sqft, and The Observer.


Lucas Stoffel Million Dollar Listing

“The Empress” is more than just a painting; it’s a celebration of the divine feminine energy, an homage to the archetype of power, fertility, and beauty. In tarot, The Empress represents abundance and creativity, and I’ve sought to capture these qualities through a rich color palette that evokes both warmth and majesty. The large format of the canvas allows the viewer to be enveloped by this energy, drawing them into a world where elegance reigns supreme.


Just as Ryan Serhant curates homes that are more than just residences but works of art in their own right, he has used several of my pieces in this space, including my incredible canvas of the Taoist temple tops in Taiwan. This majestic Taoist Dragon, measuring 48" x 72", is a stunning addition to the guest wing, where other high-profile guests like Beyoncé stay while in Manhattan.


Lucas Stoffel Million Dollar Listing

Million Dollar Listing:

The six-story home at 80 Washington Place comes with a classic Georgian red brick facade — and quite the musical history overall. Built in 1839, the stately townhouse was formerly home to composer and conductor John Philip Sousa, who created classic American marches like “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” “Semper Fidelis” and “The Liberty Bell.”


At 8,757 square feet, the smart-wired home features six bedrooms, eight baths, a custom glass elevator and three outdoor spaces. Floating wood stairs with a glass banister lead to a garden level with a foyer, an open chef’s kitchen and a double-height living room with a custom gas fireplace. A garden off the living room features an outdoor space with a teak cabana and kitchen designed by legendary restaurateur Silvano Marchetto.

New York, NY

Follow me on instagram: @lucasstoffel 

Bloom by Lucas Stoffel

In my latest series, Kaleidoscopic Blooms, I delve deep into the world of Japanese floral motifs, transforming centuries-old traditions into a contemporary visual experience. Drawing inspiration from the elaborate flower patterns worn by Kyoto geishas, this series reimagines the elegance of Japanese art through a kaleidoscopic lens. The paintings capture the delicate beauty of cherry blossoms, peonies, and chrysanthemums—each element meticulously refracted and rearranged to create stunning new patterns that explore the boundaries of abstraction and symmetry.


But these five paintings are only the beginning of the story.


A Multisensory Experience

Bloom is not just a collection of paintings; it's an immersive installation that invites viewers to step into a blooming world of color and movement. Each painting is displayed alongside its digital counterpart—a moving kaleidoscope that loops the refracted patterns in an endless dance of transformation. The digital projections capture the essence of the paintings and bring them to life in a way that traditional media alone cannot. Patterns morph, bloom, and dissolve in an ever-changing loop, creating a living artwork that is constantly evolving before the viewer's eyes.



To enhance the experience, 8-foot silk fabrics, printed with the same patterns found in the paintings, hang from the ceiling. These floating silks invite viewers to move through the space, interacting with the delicate, flowing materials as they are enveloped in the imagery. The silks echo the painted and digital forms, creating a bridge between the physical and the ephemeral, the static and the dynamic.



Tradition and Modernity in Dialogue

At the heart of Bloom is a conversation between tradition and modernity. The floral patterns I’ve used are deeply rooted in Japanese culture, often seen in kimonos worn by geishas as they glide gracefully through the streets of Kyoto. These motifs carry centuries of history, symbolism, and cultural significance. Yet, by fracturing and recombining these images through a kaleidoscope, I’ve sought to create something new—patterns that speak to both the past and the present.


The digital element adds yet another layer of contemporary relevance. By integrating technology into the experience, I can manipulate these traditional patterns in ways that would be impossible with paint alone. The continuously looping kaleidoscope animation offers a never-ending bloom—an embodiment of the idea that beauty is both transient and eternal, constantly changing yet forever present.



The Art of Immersion

With this series, I aim to go beyond the canvas and create an immersive, multisensory experience that engages the viewer in new ways. The combination of traditional painting, digital animation, and tactile silk fabrics invites viewers to interact with the artwork, not just as observers, but as participants in the unfolding of the visual story.


Bloom is an invitation to enter a world of blossoming beauty, where the boundaries between art, technology, and the viewer blur. By combining elements of Japanese tradition with modern techniques, this series creates a unique experience that is at once rooted in history and pushing the boundaries of contemporary art.


This installation is not just about viewing art; it’s about experiencing it—stepping into a space where every element works in harmony to transport you to a world of color, movement, and endless blooming.

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