Artist uses own blood in new 'Resurrection exhibit

A new exhibit in New York is apt to really stir the blood-and possibly turn the stomach.

Artist Vincent Castiglia has been painting for a decade using his own blood. Now his new show "Resurrection," on display in Manhattan's Soho neighborhood, features this body of work (no pun intended here).

Castiglia, 30, told Reuters that his first experiments with this medium were prompted by a "need to connect with my work on the most intimate level."

Castiglia first makes a sketch of the work before extracting just enough blood --or paint-- in the privacy of his studio.  The outcome is surrealistic, red and rust colored images--typically of human bodies in some stage of decay.

It may sound like this unique form of paint is a gimmick, especially since Halloween is right around the corner, but Castiglia told Reuters the public should look beyond the blood.

"My response would be to really take a look at the content of the work, which overshadows what it's made from, I think," he said. "In order for something to be a gimmick, it really would have to lack substance."

Reuters notes that the public's reaction to his work is overwhelmingly positive, and his paintings --which sell for $950 to $26,000 -- are much sought after. Rocker Gregg Allman recently bought a 2006 painting by Castiglia called "Gravity."

The exhibit opened Thursday and will run through October.