Philadelphia-based artistic duo Vorcan is bringing its unique stylings to St. Louis this week.

Artists and Pennsylvania State graduates Vort and Chris Cank joined forces to fuse their two passions, painting and musical performance, into one traveling sensation.

In the shows, Cank and Vort completely finish a painting while a band performs in the same venue.

“It’s inspired by the music,” Vort said. “We don’t have a preconceived notion of what we’re going to paint.”

He adds that the idea of integrating music into the artistic process isn’t anything new outside of doing it in front of a live audience.

“It really goes hand-in-hand,” he said. “If we were painting in the studio, we’d be listening to music.”

Cank agrees.

“Music and art really work well together,” he said.

Vorcan was formed in October of 2006, after the two friends discovered the possibilities inherent in joining music and art together.

“We actually played in the same band, and they were the ones who instigated us to paint with live music,” Cank said.

It took a little while for the pair to become comfortable with the collaborative nature of their work.

“We had no idea how this was going to work. We’ve had to learn as we go,” Vort said. “You have to be willing to compromise.”

Cank remembers times in their first few shows in which the collaborative effort produced less than interesting results.

“It’s one thing to be friends. It’s another to paint together again and again,” he said. “We had to learn to be careful about how the image progresses.”

Eventually, the artistic pair found themselves on a cross-country tour. Beginning on Mar. 15, 2008, Vorcan embarked on a mission to paint 50 paintings (one in every state in the United States) over a period of 50 days.

“It was really an endurance test,” Vort said.

The tour was difficult, but Cank said that touring provides Volcan with the unique opportunity to interact with and inspire their fans.

“We end up talking to a lot of people during set breaks,” he said. “We’re just trying to get them to get back in there and paint.”

The tour ended on May 3, 2008, when the last painting was inked in Hawaii.

Cank moved to Portland soon after but returned to Philadelphia to start Vorcan’s new tour.

“It was harder being off last month,” Vort said. “We were both anxious to get back on tour.”

Cank shares his enthusiasm for hitting the road in support of the group.

“I’ve put about 70,000 miles on my car in the last year,” he said. “But I don’t really want to stop touring. I love it.”

Volcan also reaches out to their fan base through their website, 50 Dollar Lunch, a marketplace where the first commenter on any posted painting can purchase it for $50 if their comment is made by 3 p.m.

“It helps to keep the work alive. We’re very collector driven,” Vork said. “It was an idea to get people involved and following along.”

Cank is just happy that the site has helped build a more dedicated fan base.

“The amount of people checking out the site and following us along while we’re touring is the best part,” he said.

The life of an artist can be tough, but the duo wouldn’t have it any other way.

“We have the greatest job in the world,” Vort said. “It truly is a blessing.”

Vorcan will perform at Robert’s Orpheum Theater at 10 p.m. on Saturday. The venue is located at 416 North Ninth Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63101. The cost is $35 at the door.

For more information about Vorcan, visit either www.myspace.com/vortcank or www.vorcan.com. To purchase t take advantage of the special $50 sales, visit www.50dollarlunch.com.