Art: Minnesota Vikings: Art, Football, and Family

A few years ago, I had the chance to create a series of football paintings for the Minnesota Vikings and their US Bank Stadium. Painting is always rewarding, but seeing one of my pieces projected onto the Jumbotron? Now that was something else. For someone who paints big, this was a whole new level.

The original painting of a wide receiver mid-catch is a four-by-eight-foot work on stretched canvas, prominently displayed in the stairway to the stadium’s suites. Some of my other pieces are scattered throughout the stadium.

Art, Football, and Finding Connection

There’s something about both art and football that pulls people in. They capture a moment on the field and on the canvas that hold meaning beyond words. For me, painting that receiver wasn’t just about the player or the game; it was about the split second of possibility, the kind that makes you forget yourself for a moment and just feel.

Art, like football, has this power to connect millions, whether they’re cheering in the stands or pausing in front of a canvas. You lose yourself in it, but in doing so, you also find something else like an idea, a memory, a spark of inspiration.

Back to Minnesota

My wife is from Minnesota, so the state has always felt like a second home. We visit oftten. One of her sists lives in a town about an hour north of the Twin Cities, the other down in the southwestern corner, not far from South Dakota and Iowa. It’s a nice balance between Minneapolis and the quiet of the smaller town.

Minnesota isn’t just a backdrop for my art; it’s part of the story. The rolling fields, the crisp air, and the hearty people have a way of grounding you. Every visit reminds me why I love painting: capturing those fleeting moments, whether they’re on a football field or a frozen lake in the middle of nowhere.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from working with the Vikings and spending time in Minnesota, it’s that art and football aren’t so different. They bring people together, make us feel alive, and give us something to feel good about like in sportd arena or a gallery.