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When one looks in the box, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the cat.

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Lana Crooks

Lana Crooks loves the antique, the creepy, the cute and the mysterious. She began her artistic life as an illustrator but became a sculptor of fabrics and found objects. She constructs all kinds of creatures (commonly those from the deepest oceans but even the ones from under your bed). These cuddly monstrosities have been spied at places such as: Munky King, Rivet, Rotofugi, G1988 and Art Basel and has frequently been spotted teaming up with other artists to help create the monsters within their heads. Crooks has also partnered with the OhNo!Doom collective and operates a gallery in Chicago, IL. But, on an average day, you can find her at the studio surrounded by model ships, books, skulls, faux fur, glass eyes, a menagerie of stuffed friends and a cat named Tanuki.

Lana Crooks spent her formative years in South Florida. During high school, she was deemed most likely to become a pirate and began to amass a seaworthy crew. The crew sailed to Savannah and attended the Savannah College of Art and Design, where Lana pilfered herself a BFA in Illustration in twenty ought two. One day, on a whim, she made an expedition to Chicago and made it home, trading the ocean for a giant lake. She is now the captain of Crookedart LLC, a company based around freelance illustration, costume and set design for film and TV and retail window displays. Captain Crooks is also a full time plushinator. Plush became Lana's main focus in 2007 with the Octoplush series, based on her love of cephalopods. Her plush are called “soft sculptures” and usually hang on the wall as art pieces. They are all lovingly hand-made and one-of-a-kind. Her work has been seen at Get Knifed Gallery, A.Okay Official, DVA, Rotofugi, in a “top secret” MTV pilot and at other locations throughout Chicago and Los Angeles. She has also worked with other artists to create crazy collaborations, and yes, Lana Crooks is her real name.