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Tony Roko was named Best Fine Artist by the readers of Hour Detroit magazine in its 2015 "Best of Detroit" contest. Roko also won the Best Fine Artist nod from the magazine in 2014.
Born Antoni Roko Ivezaj, Tony was the first Natural American Citizen in his family, which migrated from a refugee camp in Rome. English being Roko's second language, he immediately knew he had to rely on mannerisms and other non-verbal cues to gauge the orientation and sentiment of others.
At the age of 19, Roko went to work on the assembly line of Ford Motor Company. As a kid, he was always painting and drawing, a habit he took with him to the line. On his breaks, he would sketch in his notebook, sometimes making portraits of his co-workers. The union representatives and management took notice, pulled him aside and asked if he'd like to be part of a plant beautification project to boost the workers' morale. Roko was put to task, painting portraits and murals on plant walls, based on suggestions from the workers. An auto plant is a hot and gritty place, not exactly ideal conditions for a mural, which is unlikely to stand up to the wear of the environment. To combat this, Roko used materials he found around the factory that had already shown their resistance to such conditions: industrial coatings, auto enamels and scrap wood from pallets. He became the resident artist for Ford and began beautifying other plants in the Detroit area.
Although Roko has since moved from factory floors to gallery walls, he still employs many of the techniques he learned during his years painting in factories, such as working with salvaged paints and woods, while adding floor stain, acrylics, linseed oil, varnish, leftover house paint and old windows to the list of media he works with today. He paints bold portraits of interesting subjects using bright, vivid colors.
Each year, Hour Detroit, metro Detroit's monthly magazine, asks its readers to vote for their favorite local personalities, athletes, businesses, philanthropists, restaurants and more. Readers can vote on ballots placed inside the March issue of the magazine or at www.hourdetroit.com. Results of the popular contest are revealed in the magazine's June issue.
Roko, who has been commissioned to paint pieces for Lady Gaga, Jay Leno and Ford Motor Company as part of its Centennial Celebration of the Assembly Line, has recently received notoriety for his work, including a piece displayed in the permanent collection of Michigan's Holocaust Memorial Center.
"I'm thrilled to be able to do what I love as a career and honored to be acknowledged by the great people of Detroit and Hour Detroit magazine," says Roko. "Art has changed my life in ways I could have never imagined and I look forward to sharing my work with everyone."
Roko took part in Hour Detroit's Best of Detroit party on June 19 at Motor City Casino Hotel in Detroit. His work will be featured at the 20th Anniversary of ArtWorks Detroit Sept. 17, an event that benefits Ferndale's Michigan AIDS Coalition. Roko's work will also be on display at ArtPrize, an independently organized international art competition in Grand Rapids held Sept. 23-Oct. 11. His work is on display now at Lafontsee Galleries in Grand Rapids.
