09/02/2026
Someone recently said they were tired of seeing people profit off celebrity deaths. I understand where they’re coming from, and I think everyone processes loss and pays tribute in different ways.
I can’t speak for other artists, but I can speak for myself.
When I first started painting portraits, I practiced by painting people who inspired me, Jimi Hendrix, Jerry Garcia, Johnny Cash, and many others. Over the years, I’ve painted countless musicians, actors, and public figures, not because they were trending, but because their music or work had an impact on me.
I actually keep a list in my phone of people I want to paint someday. A lot of them are still alive. They’re on that list simply because something about them or their work inspires me.
So when someone I admire passes away and I decide to paint them, I’m not sitting there thinking, “How can I make money from this?” I’m thinking about their life, their work, what they meant to me, and what they meant to millions of other people. Painting is how I process that and how I pay tribute.
Sometimes those paintings become incredibly popular. Sometimes they don’t. Of course I sell my artwork, this is how I support my family, but earning money from your work doesn’t automatically make the reason for creating it insincere.
I think it would be different if the only time I ever painted someone was immediately after they died. But I’ve spent years painting people who are very much alive alongside those who are no longer here.
At the end of the day, I’m an artist. I paint the people, places, and moments that inspire me. Sometimes that means celebrating someone while they’re here, and sometimes it means honoring them after they’re gone.
People are free to feel however they feel about it. But I know why I create the work I create 🎨