Smocks & Jocks Artist Guide 2023

The art project submitted is a collage of paintings in the style of team playing cards in honor of one of Butch’s favorite sports figures, John Madden. “John Madden was a football figure who brought the whole game together…no matter what team you were on or rooting for, we all love Madden. This project of mine is the first half, the AFC half, of my tribute to him. The Butch Rolle “Caring for Kids” Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) was founded in 2013 by former NFL Tight End Butch Rolle. Butch played 8 seasons in the NFL, 2 with the Arizona Cardinals and 6 with the Buffalo Bills where he played in two Superbowls. He also achieved the historical milestone of scoring the 1000th touchdown for the team. Additionally, Butch holds the NFL record for the most consecutive catches for touchdowns (14) earning him the nickname “Mr. Touchdown.”

Donald Rolle Larry Fitzgerald

Larry Fitzgerald is a philanthropist, business owner, investor, and former wide receiver for the National Football League (NFL). In 2005, Larry founded The Larry Fitzgerald Foundation in honor of his mother, Carol Fitzgerald, who passed away as a result of breast cancer in 2003. For nearly two decades, The Larry Fitzgerald Foundation has worked to provide equitable access and new pathways to success for youth and honors his mother’s legacy by supporting women, men and families affected by breast cancer in communities that have been historically underserved. Beyond the foundation’s core mission of breast cancer awareness and youth education, Larry’s philanthropic initiatives range in size and scope, from economic development projects in Senegal and Ethiopia, to delivering hearing technology in Africa and Southeast Asia. He prides himself in serving as a leader and also learning from his partners like PHX Suns and most recently as a board member of Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Chris mohr

Chris has been doing ‘woodworking’ for around 15 years, mainly pallet-wood-type stuff. He Bought a lot on Smith Lake in Alabama and found some of the neatest Driftwood. The Eagle “A” may be the Neatest so far. It was floating on our bank (pix attached) and he honestly didn’t know what he was going to do with it until after he began sanding, it became clearer and clearer. It took on the look of an Eagle Head and the Shape of an ‘a’, hence why he named it “Eagle” “a”. The Wine and Cheese Display Block is a common design, however every cut of wood is different, and every “Chink” isn’t the same. This one has a unique Chink along with a “Rough-Cut” spot that the knife fits in perfectly. Chris says It’s little things like that that make them “one-of-a-kind” because it’s very difficult to duplicate.

Stephen G Christie

Steve studied Fine Arts at the College of William and Mary, concentrating on oil painting and art history, in addition to punting and kicking for The Tribe. Following his fifteen-year NFL career, he continued painting but moved away from more traditional subjects and styles to develop his brand of abstract expressionism, landscape, and figurative artworks. Steve is currently a licensed real estate sales associate with Charles Rutenberg Realty in Sarasota/Bradenton and the surrounding area. He continues to give back his love of the game as a volunteer with the Lakewood Ranch, Florida High School football team.

Larry Gagner

Larry was a Florida Gator All-American guard and was drafted by the Steelers in the 2nd round in 1965. For the next four years, he was the Steelers’ starting left guard. He did manage an extra year with the Chiefs in 1972, following an auto accident. While at U of F, Advertising Design morphed into a painting passion. His SignsSublime.com website ministry transforms common road signs (and football nomenclature) into Christian prompts for the sustaining of one’s faith while traveling on American highways. These images are designed to be a projection presented (optionally by Larry himself) in a congregational and/or classroom setting.

David F. Mack, A.K.A. “The ClayMacker” is a member of the North Tampa Art League, Florida CraftArt, the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA), and the NFL Players Association (Washington Commanders, 1971). David is a retired art teacher K-12, former adjunct college professor, and retired Lieutenant Colonel, US Army. David Mack earned a B.S. from Morgan State University, M.F.A. from the Maryland Institute College of Art, and an Advanced Military Diploma from the U.S. Army, Command and General Staff College. David’s wife, Linda Mack, is the inspiration, motivation, and lifelong partner that makes up the team, ‘The ClayMacker’.

You can view and purchase some of David’s work on: www.fineartamerica.com/profile/davidmack

David mack Larry Fitzgerald

Ed White, born April 4th, 1947, spent his years growing up in Southern California’s golden sunlight. He explored his passion for both art and sports, distinguishing himself in both fields. He spent 17 years as an NFL player with the Chargers and Vikings, followed by ten years of coaching in college and pros. Ed was chosen for All Century PAC 12. He is also in The College Football Hall of Fame.

Ed is on the All-Time Minnesota Viking Team, and the All-Time San Diego Chargers Team, and in the Charger Ring of Honor.

cory Schlesinger

Cory Schlesinger was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the sixth round of the 1995 Draft. He was a two-time AllState linebacker at Columbus High School in Columbus, Nebraska. He drove in demolition derbies for three years during high school. He is still considered one of the best pure fullbacks in the NFL and was selected as a Pro Bowl alternate in 2003, 2004, and 2005. He was selected by his teammates as the recipient of the Bobby Layne Offensive MVP Award in 2003, the Mike Utley Spirit Award in 2002 and 2003, and the Yale Lary Special Teams MVP in 1997. Cory is currently teaching and is the head strength coach at Allen Park High School in Michigan.

Thomas wright

TJ Wright is a former NFL player, current contemporary artist, shooting guard for the Dallas Heat and lead singer for the Trap Rock band Orion’s Belt. After playing for the Cincinnati Bengals, Wright attended the Art Institute of Miami and The Beverly Hills Design Institute, where he began to expand his vision and technique. Wright specializes in contemporary, abstract, and performance art.

Don hasselbeck

A (9) nine-year NFL career, Patriots, Raiders [Super Bowl Champs XVIII], Vikings, Giants. He was a Studio Fine Arts Major at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Don also spent twenty plus years working in the product marketing and sales divisions at Reebok International. Now retired and spending his time as a full time Artist/painter. All of Dons works are heavily influenced by renowned colorist & artist, Josef Albers, and his color theories and the interactions of color on each other and us. All artwork is created through the emotional lens of COLOR and its emotional attractions.

About the Artist Jose C. Portilla was born in Zaragoza Coahuila, Mexico. At the age of six he moved to Houston, Texas. There he naturally developed a love for football, art, and the outdoors. His proficiency in the sport led to All American honors at Ricks College in Idaho. He then moved to the University of Arizona, where he was named a Hula Bowl All-Star, receiving All-Pac 10 honors. While playing with the Atlanta Falcons, Jose, and his teammates won the National Football Conference Championship and played in the Super Bowl (XXXIII). Later, Jose played in the XFL, for the Los Angeles Extreme, where he won his second championship title. The lessons of hard work and dedication, which Jose learned through football, naturally enhanced his artistic abilities. His love for art is captured in the wildlife and landscape paintings are so vividly portrayed.

jose c. portilla solomon thomas

Solomon Thomas has played in the NFL for six seasons as a Defensive Lineman and is Co-Founder and Board Chair of The Defensive Line. Drafted as the #3 overall player in the 2017 NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers, he played 4 seasons for the Niners including Super Bowl LIV. His defensive skills have taken him to the Las Vegas Raiders and the New York Jets where he was their nominee for the 2022 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. Off the field, Solomon has dedicated his life to sharing Ella’s story and has worked with a myriad of nonprofit organizations to raise awareness and secure funds for mental health and suicide prevention work. His courage to vulnerably share his experience through national media outlets like CNN, ESPN, The New York Times, and NFL Network have established him as a respected advocate in the field. His art submission is a collaboration piece with artist Kyndall Owens, a inspired by the sunflowers that bloom at Dorothea Dix park in Raleigh, NC.

cory Schlesinger

Adam Borchardt, son of former NFL player Jon Borchardt, was born on February 6th, 1983, in Buffalo, NY. His artistic passion was apparent at a very young age, and he’s always had a burning desire to draw, be it with crayons, chalk, pens, or his favorite-colored pencils. Cultivating creative aptitude over the years at his home led to studying Architecture at the University of Washington with intense rigor.

After graduating & sampling several offices – he moved to Honolulu Hawaii to work as a designer for an international architecture firm. Relentlessly pursuing his childhood drive to be a full-time artist soon resulted in his sole-prop forming and an established commitment to drawing primarily in a digital format. Here he embellish ideas with fresh curiosity, vibrance, shapes, sections, perspectives, and various expressive design tested techniques rendering a studio environment of playful discovery & innovation. his earnest home-brewed art web gallery can be found online at cipher0.com is the narrow point of the exercise. He Thanks for all constructive critique, honest intrigue, and of course and all patronage. ~ Mahalo.

Thomas wright

Rob Goebel (b. 1980) is an Abstract Painter and Creative Director at United Solutions and is currently living in the Washington, D.C. area. Rob’s recent work explores a new realm of abstract expressionism and has introduced action painting into his work. Working with gestural and aggressive brush strokes, he gives light to his rich and vibrant color palette. These paintings are colorful gestural abstractions of another reality with symbolic meaning of a dreamlike utopian state of mind. Rob is a graduate of the Fine Arts Graphic & Web Design program at the Art Institute of Washington (with high honors), holds a BA of Arts from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and studied painting & drawing from the Artist League in Alexandria, VA for many years. Rob has been working as a professional artist for the past twelve years and has exhibited his work at Touchstone Gallery in Washington, D.C., locally in the Washington D.C. metro area and various places around the country.

Q.Cole is an artist from Bowie, MD, and currently resides in Atlanta, GA. He is a graduate of the prestigious HBCU Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA where he earned his Business Administration degree. Growing up art was always a talent of his beginning from middle school where it started out as just sketches from his favorite celebrities. Realizing to took classes to develop the fundamentals ok classes to develop the fundamentals started to pick up steam in 2017 when he began leveraging the natural skillset of drawing, he began to take classes to develop the fundamentals skills of what it takes to become an artist. This led him to enter and started to pick up steam in 2017 when he began leveraging ng into local competitions.

quinton cole allison smith

Allison was born in the Caribbean and later moved to America with her family. Her global citizenship is visible in the movement found within her art as she deploys contrasting colors to make bold statements. Growing up in a family of artists and patrons of the arts, she has always found it second to nature to appreciate the beauty in words, the melodies in music and layers in paintings. Her years spent in New York and Boston further developed her love for art and design taking in these cities’ world class exhibits and museums.

As a wife, mother of three and now grandmother of two, she is finding that there is no better time than today to let art inspire her to create. Allison is determined to prove that your most noble endeavor includes pursuing your dreams at any age and is proud to have these pieces as part of her legacy. Allison’s art process is both intuitive and collaborative. When creating art for others, Allison incorporates insights and preferences from her clients and brings them to life in a unique and personable way.

Reach out today to learn more about Allison’s art and commission a one-of-a-kind piece or collection that will not disappoint.

AKSmith.originals@gmail.com

Malcolm blacken

Senior Director of Player Development of the Washington Commanders

Malcolm Blacken has spent the last 25 years working in the NFL as a strength coach and player development director. Before beginning his career, he attended Va. Tech on a football scholarship while majoring in art. Although football has always been a part of his life, art has always been equally important. He began sketching and drawing at a young age and it brought peace and calm to his being.

In more recent years, Malcolm has been able to marry the two passions and create what he calls, high end, one of a kind sport memorabilia art. The distressed fabric in the jersey is carefully created to show at its root, the blue-collar work ethic it takes to continually outwork and outperform those trying to take your spot at each level of play. The stitching, tears, and burns represent the blood, sweat, and sacrifice necessary to reach the apex of a sport, mentally and physically it’s about so much more than talent, it’s about the grind! “My goal of each piece is to tell the athletics story without any need for explanation”.

Instagram: Black’s Gallery

email: M.blacken11@gmail.com or Malcolm.Blacken@Commanders.com Phone: 303.726.5963