Kobe Bryant LA Laker Basketball Image Art

Kobe Bryant and Inspiration

This is a basketball image of Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest basketball players of all times who played his whole basketball career with the LA Lakers.  He has been a great inspiration to me even though he is quite a bit younger than I am.  How has Kobe inspired me?  I remember a quote he said a few years ago when it was difficult for him to be playing.  He said,” I have self-doubt. I have insecurity. I have fear of failure. I have nights when I show up at the arena and I'm like, 'My back hurts, my feet hurt, my knees hurt. I don't have it. I just want to chill.' We all have self-doubt. You don't deny it, but you also don't capitulate to it. You embrace it.”

As I am getting older and there are days I just do not want to go into the studio, I think of how much harder it was for him to face the challenge of his daily playing.  Me?  All I have to do is go into the studio and slap some paint on some canvas.  It’s not like I have to go down into a coal mine and dig out the rock with a hand pick.  Kobe gives me some perspective on my life.  

No, I do Not Want to be Michael Jordan 

Another thing Kobe said that is very insightful - and in particular, to painting.  He said, “I don't want to be the next Michael Jordan, I only want to be Kobe Bryant.”  How does that relate to painting?  Well, one of the mistakes most artists make is that they want to paint like someone else.  They create similar work to others so it is the same thing.  What makes interesting art if for the artist to be different than others.  Be unique.  Don’t copy what others are doing but create your  own work that is unique to you. We already had a Picasso or Van Gogh.  And in Kobe’s case, there was already a Michael Jordan.  It was great to have a Kobe Bryant or a LeBron James.  And now we have a Stephen Curry.  It is much more exciting to have a variety of different kinds of talent.  So we do not want another Kobe Bryant (although we miss you) or a Michael Jordan because we now have a Stephen Curry.

Do I want to be the new LeRoy Neiman of sports art?  No  I want to be the best John Robertson.  I may not being the best sports artist or create great sports art but I will paint paintings and not LeRoy Neiman paintings.

This LA Lakers basketball image of Kobe Bryant is 13" x 19" acrylic on paper.

Basketball Painting LA Lakers Dribbling Basketball

John Robertson Sports Art Basketball Painting LA Lakers  Dribbling Basketball  is 10 inches by 10 inches ink and acrylic on old  news clippings of LA Lakers.

I am one of those typical Los Angeles fans who like the Lakers when they are winning and do not pay much attention top them when they are losing.  I try and only root for teams that are winning.  I'm a fair weather friend.  You're not feeling well?  Sorry to hear that.  Please pass the salt. 

As far as the Lakers are concerned, at least they have somewhere to go and that is up.  Maybe.  Here is the "no brainer" comment.  "They have to re-build."  What does that mean?  I don't know what that means.  I don't know much about basketball.  I can't even build my own life properly much less tell someone how to rebuild their lousy basketball team.  But I know there are plenty of people out there quite willing to tell anyone how to do anything.

I know. How about picking in the draft or getting a couple top-level free agents to "elevate" the team.  I think they know that too.  All I know is how to "elevate" on the escalator to the third floor level of the Century Mall to find Fatburgers  for a Kobe Bryant XXL Cheeseburger with fries. I find I need to put on more weight with the remote possibility that I can float better in the "Y" pool.

But what I do know is this:  Please, Lakers, no more wins this season.  Don't do anything that may jeopardize your critical draft position.  We want to win - so you need to lose.

Basketball Art, Painting of Dunk Shot

Sports Art Painting of basketball player dunking a basketball shot. I used a photo of Kobe Bryant of the LA Lakers dunking a basketball as reference material for the painting.  I did change it from the original by changing to position of the arms and also the coloring.   The basketball player painting art is 4 feet by 8 feet, acrylic on unstretched canvas.

Good quote from Kobe Bryant: “I can't relate to lazy people. We don't speak the same language. I don't understand you. I don't want to understand you.”  Why I like the quote is because I paint five days a week and there are a lot of artists that do not understand that it is important to show up into their studio regularly to produce work.  It is not about inspiration but about hard work.  I work on the theory that if you paint a lot of paintings some are bound to be good.  As they say about baseball, if you can hit three for ten you are a great player.   I probably paint one good painting out of ten painted.  But if I don’t paint the ten paintings I am not going to get the good one.

Basketball Art Image Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers

Basketball Painting of Kobe Bryant

Image of Kobe Bryant dribbling against a defensive player. I just heard the other day that Kobe has been playing for the Lakers here in Los Angeles for around 14 years. And the one fact I keep forgetting is that he came out of high school to play. The painting is 11"x x 14" ink, watercolor and acrylic on drafting film