It’s been a while! Sorry for not blogging in quite some time, but I’ve been busy doing what I love! In addition to working on some new pieces (which includes a couple commissions), I’m excited to announce that two of my paintings are up in San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis’ art gallery! Gallery 85 is part of Santana Row in San Jose, California and is an extension of the Vernon Davis Foundation for the Arts. Per www.vernondavis.com/foundation/ , the foundation aims to “promote art education and art appreciation among youth from disadvantaged backgrounds.” They fulfill their mission by “providing scholarships to dedicated art students and grants to deserving nonprofit programs who share in our ideals.”

They’re actually the second and third pieces that I’ve had displayed there, and the very first one sold already! It’s an absolute honor to have Vernon and his foundation continue to appreciate my art/paintings of him enough to include them in his gallery. It’s amazing to have a superstar athlete love my work and then have said athlete share my work! My two paintings actually got some extra promotion when Vernon took his Instagram followers on a picture tour of his gallery. One of his photos was of him standing right in between my 2 pieces! It’s always great to get my paintings out there for people to see, especially when someone of his notoriety shares and compliments them.

But in addition to having my work on display, I love being part of the bigger picture. Sure, my work is for sale and hanging in a gallery, but the potential sale of my paintings benefits something greater than just me. Proceeds from the two pieces benefit a foundation that aims to support and encourage younger people interested in art to pursue their passion or to further develop it. As an artist myself, I love having the opportunity to give back in a sense to the art community. Doing what I love to do that helps the future of art? Count me in every time. Well alright, that’s all I have this go around. If you want to see more of my stuff, follow me on Twitter @MoreauArt and Instagram @AbsolonMoreau or find me on Facebook so we can chat about sports and art! Until next time, thanks for checking in on my paintings and me!

If you have any questions, painting suggestions, or would like to contact me regarding a custom painting, please email me at info@moreauart.com.

Thanks for reading!

-Absolon

I haven’t had a post in quite some time, but it’s great to be back. And I’m back with new art! The San Francisco 49ers haven’t won a Super Bowl since 1994, so this Super Bowl appearance for the 49ers is extra special for the 49er fan base. We all know about the suffocating defense, but the man leading this revival from average play is none other than Quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick burst on to the scene after taking over for a then-injured Alex Smith, and the rest is history. His success, leadership, and story are the main reasons that led me to creating this painting of him in his trademarked pose!

Before I talk more about the painting, some quick back story on the pose. “Kaepernicking” has caught the football world by storm. Kaepernick ‘kisses’ a bible verse on his bicep after he scores a touchdown. And just like “Tebowing” last season, it is a phenomenon that has everyone replicating and talking about it (just look at San Jose Sharks Forward Logan Couture ‘Kaepernicking’ after scoring a goal).

Ok, now back to the painting. I decided to do a Kaepernick painting simply because he is the hottest guy in the NFL right now and has been a source of inspiration on many levels. And I chose his “Kaepernicking” pose because of what it not only means to him, but what it means to 49er fans and his teammates. It represents a score for the 49ers, and every time he does it, he further cements his place among the team and as a force to be reckoned with in the NFL.

He has also revived the 49er fan base. Kaepernick’s emergence from backup to star in a matter of 10 or so starts has done so much for the 49er faithful. He, along with coach Jim Harbaugh, has been at the forefront of the 49ers return to the potential glory. He has inspired a new wave of fans as well as the fans that watched Montana and Young win Super Bowls so many years ago. He has helped bring stability along with some flair to a position that 49er fans have accustomed with greatness.

So with all these elements coming together in this pose, it was truly an honor to do this painting. I am a big fan of what Kaepernick has been able to do on the field with limited playing time as well as what he represents. He is a humble athlete that has worked tirelessly to achieve his ultimate dream of becoming an NFL quarterback. So thank you Colin for being a source of inspiration for so many.

If you love this painting, great news! Prints of this painting are available! Each print is 16×20 inches printed on foam core. For $50, you can get a great piece for your FanCave, home, office, etc. Prints can be purchased here.

If you have any questions, painting suggestions, or would like to contact me regarding a custom painting, please email me at info@moreauart.com.

Thanks for reading!

-Absolon

Let’s start with my painting of one of the greatest athletes of all time. I’m currently working on a painting of none other than Michael Phelps! Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all time. With the Olympics and Phelps’ swimming career having recently wrapped up, I wanted to pay homage to his greatness. The painting is a 16×20 inch piece. It captures Phelps in the middle of his best stroke: the butterfly. I really wanted to capture one of sports’ most iconic athletes performing his best/most iconic swimming stroke.

There isn’t a whole lot of reasoning behind my desire to do this painting. It wasn’t commissioned and it wasn’t by popular demand. I think that my passion for sports steered me in the direction of this painting. I just wanted to do my part in paying tribute to someone I consider one of the greatest in a generation. I’m not sure that I’ll see another person dominate their sport like Phelps has in my lifetime, so I wanted to immortalize him in my eyes with this painting.

There are three other paintings I’ve recently completed/am working on. The first is a 16×20 inch painting of San Francisco 49ers defensive end Justin Smith. The painting is of Smith’s memorable celebration after sacking Saints quarterback Drew Brees in the 2012 playoffs. Smith is screaming with elation with both hands raised on each side of his body.
Smith has become one of the most consistent players in the league while also playing at an elite level. This image depicts one of the 49ers highlights and memorable moments from last season. The painting would look great in any 49ers fan’s home! Again, my love of sports prompted me to paint this one. This is one of the things that I remember most from the 49ers season last year.

This other piece I’m working on is fun for me. I’m doing an 11×14 painting of San Francisco Giants reliever Sergio Romo. I know that he isn’t the sexiest name out there, but I’m a huge fan of Romo. Though he doesn’t get the publicity like other guys do, Romo is one of the best relievers in the game. His wicked slider is almost un-hittable when he puts it in the right spot.

I wanted to do this piece to give some respect to one of the best in the game. Like I said, he might not be the guy that gets all the attention, but I respect the greats of the game. Most Giants fans know how valuable Romo is to the club, and hopefully someone loves this piece and wants to put it in their home.

Stay tuned; there are a lot more paintings and blogs on the way!

-Absolon

This piece is a 24×36 inch painting. He will sign the prints, which will then be sold at an event for his charity, the CRC Foundation. “The CRC Foundation is committed to the enhancement of our community by teaching quality life skills to assist with the development of young people. Through sports, the enrichment of creative talents, vocational skills, career mentorship, financial literacy, and quality health and nutrition education, the CRC Foundation seeks to empower and provide self-awareness for our future leaders.” The painting will be sold at his 2^nd Annual CRC Foundation dinner on September 3^rd, 2012. If you are interested in purchasing a ticket to the event, there is information here: http://www.thecrcfoundation.org/2012-crc-foundation-dinner/

I’ve said it before, but doing a piece for an athlete is amazing. I’m a huge sports fan, and being able to provide these guys with quality artwork is great. The fact that they choose me to paint for them is still flattering. With athletes being people we hold in high regards, having someone with so much talent think that I have great talent as a painter, is one of the best feelings I could ask for. And when the painting they commission is for their charity, it makes the piece and process that much more meaningful to me. Never in my wildness imagination could have imagined that one of my paintings would help makes a difference in someone’s life. The fact that the paint I put on canvas is helping others astonishes me. It also makes me want to reach out to other athletes and their charities to do more work for others.

For more information on the CRC Foundation, visit this link: http://www.thecrcfoundation.org/

To see more of my work or to contact me, please visit: http://moreauart.com/

Cheers,

Absolon

Like the Dashon Goldson and Calais Campbell pieces, this piece is going to benefit Lynch’s charity the “Fam 1^st Foundation.”  I’m not 100 percent sure if Lynch will raffle it off or what exactly his specific plans are for the painting, but I know whatever proceeds will go to the charity (which makes me happy).   The Fam 1^st Family Foundation is “dedicated to uplifting and empowering youth in the Bay Area and throughout the United States. The foundation’s mission is one of empowerment and education, aiming to build self0esteem and academic learning skills in underprivileged youth.”

I’ve made it pretty clear how much I love doing paintings for charities, so I want repeat myself here. But I will say that it is exciting to do work for a charity that’s primary location is here in the Bay Area. The extreme locality of it makes it an even bigger pleasure for me. I also am a big fan of how involved and how many events the Fam 1^st Foundation puts on. If you look at their website, you can see how many events they have put on this summer and how Lynch brings in other athletes to appear at these events.

Stay tuned, because I have quite a few more paintings in the works that I can’t wait to share with you!   For more information on the Fam 1^st Foundation, please visit: http://www.fam1stfamilyfoundation.org/   To look at some of the paintings I’ve done, paintings for sale, or to contact me, please visit: http://moreauart.com/   Thanks for checking in and reading about what I’ve got going on!

Hope to hear from you about a piece you’re interested in buying/commissioning!

-Absolon

I recently finished a piece for San Francisco 49ers Safety Dashon Goldson. Dashon contacted me about doing a piece for his charity, The Highest Point Foundation. “The Highest Point Foundation was created in 2009 by Dashon Goldson to provide motivational outlets for youth through sports programs such as camps and clinics – to take them off the streets and onto the field, making more productive use of their time and physical abilities.” Taken from the charity’s website. He will be signing the painting which will then be put up for auction at one of his events.

The painting is an 18×24 inch oil painting on canvas. It was a an absolute pleasure to not only do a painting for a great local athlete, but the fact that the proceeds will benefit a charity makes the work even more worthwhile. His charity started in Southern California (where he is from) and now includes work in San Francisco. It’s exciting that I get to assist The Highest Point Foundation’s efforts to help the kids in at-risk neighborhoods have an outlet.

Another extremely exciting moment through this process was how happy Dashon was when I presented him an image of the near-final product. He posted the picture on Instagram which is a photo-sharing website. He shared it with his followers, and the photo of the painting was well received. Over 400 people “liked” the photo, I received many complimentary comments, and he gave me a shout-out for doing the painting. I can’t quite put into words the joy I get when a client tells me how much they enjoy and love a painting I do for them. I believe the happiness of a client is the ultimate reward for any artist, whether it is music, poetry, painting, etc… Any time we artists can make people happy with our work, we’ve accomplished a great goal.

For more information on the Highest Point Foundation, visit http://www.dashongoldson.com/the-highest-point/

To view more of my paintings, visit: http://moreauart.com

Stay tuned and follow the blog for more painting updates and other news!

-Absolon Moreau