“You have cancer” are three words that can turn your life upside down.
Last year, Ruby Mazur, the artist who created the “Mouth and Tongue” image for The Rolling Stones “Tumbling Dice” record sleeve heard those three words and was told that his brain cancer would only give him 6 months more to live.
He got his affairs in order… finished his will, and placed his beloved dogs knowing that he only had a matter of weeks left. There was one last thing he wanted to do… paint, and have his final exhibit.
(As an artist Mazur has created the covers for soundtrack albums including Malcom X, the original 1971’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Love Story, Lenny Bruce, and Elton John’s first American Soundtrack album “Friends.” He has designed over 3000 album covers for not only the Rolling Stones “Tumbling Dice” record sleeve, but for BB King, Billy Joel, Dusty Springfield, Elton John, Ray Charles, Steely Dan, Jimmy Buffett, and limitless others.)
After the initial shock and despair, it was the reaction of my loved ones, the beauty of his home and life in Hawaii, and his continued motivation to create that got his head turned around and focused to beat the challenge. Like so many cancer victims, when faced with the certainty of a diagnosis and course, he decided to channel himself into his work and a treatment program consisting of alternative & holistic regiments.
This year is the 50th anniversary of the iconic “Mouth and Tongue” Ruby created for the Rolling Stones “Tumbling Dice” Record sleeve. It undoubtedly changed his life, and he wanted to celebrate it with this last show.
While Ruby was planning this event, he was doing everything he could to not let his life be cut short by the cancer in his brain.
Ruby began spending his days meditating and focusing on himself, chasing down acupuncture treatments, and really any path he could because at his core he is a fighter.
That said, he wanted this final exhibit to be his biggest and best yet, the final show from an icon of pop culture. He teamed up with the visionaries at Holle Fine Art Gallery and Cosmic Wire to produce what is the first hybrid Canvas and NFT art exhibit in Hawaiian history. The NFTS displayed side-by-side their Canvas counterparts, all as individual one-off works of art celebrating Ruby’s lips that changed his world forever. On the first night of the exhibit, Ruby Mazur sold his first NFT for $1.1m becoming one of the highest priced NFTS ever sold.
Now Ruby is going to auction off the other 12 originals, beginning Saturday July 10, 2021, spreading the message of #fukcancer, as he is donating a portion of the proceeds to the LET ME HELP, Inc foundation to fund further cancer research.
Ruby is happy to say that he is now officially a Cancer survivor as, through treatment, positive thinking, and an unwillingness to let the disease distract him from his vision, his doctors have informed him that the tumor has subsided and is no longer life threatening. His story is inspiring and a message for us all, so join us, celebrate this man’s finest achievement and finally, #fukcancer.
Watch Cancer Survivor Ruby Mazur Sells Art For $1.1m in Hawaii’s First Ever Hybrid NFT/Canvas Art Auction Video here: