The Art of Sport by Chris Brown
Exhibition: September 4 to October 4
Reception Friday, September 20 6 to 8pm
Elm Street Studio
139 S. Elm St. | Keller, Texas 76248 | 214.478.8372
www.ElmStreetStudioKeller.com
From the Artist:
Having been an athlete until I was 29, sports were always very important
in my life. Years ago, when attempting to create an artistic identity I
decided it was important to focus on a subject that would always hold
my attention but would also have new subject content. I truly believe
Sports Art is the modern, artistic way to celebrate the human form.
I was born and raised in McCook, Nebraska, which is a small farming
community in Southwest Nebraska. McCook, while a wonderful place to
grow up did not have a huge art community. I did have wonderful art
teachers growing up and they were a strong influence on me.
Baseball was a huge part of my life and I was able to get a baseball
scholarship first to Cowley County, KS, and then to Northwestern State
University. Being a student athlete was challenging in many ways, and
many of my art professors did not support me as an athlete. Being
drafted and playing for the Cubs as well as several independent pro
teams provided other obstacles in my art career. Interestingly, my
athletic colleagues were not supportive of my artistic aspirations. I
enjoyed playing professionally until after the 2003 season.
In 2009 I was approached about being the artist for the Louisiana Sports
Hall of Fame and being a former pro athlete helped land the job. Not
only my artistic skill but my relationships and how I relate to the
athletes is very important.
Since 2009 I have created 106 portraits for the Louisiana Sports Hall of
Fame. Each year I create eight inductee portraits, the portraits for
the Dave Dixon Award, and the Distinguished Service Award. Some notable
inductees that I have created portraits of include Shaquille O’Neil,
Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne as well as recent Pro Football Hall of
Famers Kevin Mawae and Ed Reed. In addition to my work with the LSHOF, I
teach high school art, and enjoy painting commission projects for
clients wanting anything from little league player portraits, to sports
enthusiasts adding to their collections.
I have the pleasure of building relationships with some of the athletes
and coaches that I have met over the years and they have agreed to sign
pieces that I created for the sole purpose of showing them in galleries
and museums. What you will see in the show is the first installment of
this effort.
A portion of art-print sale proceeds will benefit
Platoon 22.
For more details, visit www.ElmStreetStudioKeller.com.
