Artist's Statement

For more than 35 years I have sat before the rag, as we call the canvas back east, and painted my tears, my blood, and always leaving a part of my soul in it hoping that my work can be as givin' as a woman's love. For me painting can be just like that, sometimes. It makes you sit there until your eyes close, and your soul is just left there for all to judge, and look upon.

Although I have always felt the presence of God, for the last few years I have felt that God’s grace is more and more important to me. I always want the world to be able to see itself in my paintings.

My paintings can be found all over the world. Most of them I've given away, and the others well, lets just say I gave them away too since I sold them for much less than I should have. It is my dream that the money from my paintings will be used to feed families or put some child in college who dreams he or she might be president. It is my hope that my paintings will bring together people from around the world. Maybe they will give you a reason to say good morning to a person you just passed. or just make you smile.

You can find me at 2am in my studio by the ocean, yet again sitting before a new rag. This is what I love to do. I say to my friends, you know who you are - the ones who have stayed the course with me, my success is yours. I can not lay claim to that. It was all of you who said “wooooo” to my paintings. To you I say thank you.

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Drew Hill was born October 5, 1956 in Newnan, Georgia. A wide receiver from Georgia Tech, he was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1979 NFL Draft, and played in 14 NFL seasons from 1979-1982 and 1984-1993.  His most notable years were with the Houston Oilers. He was twice an All-Pro in 1988 and 1990, and played in a Super Bowl. He retired after the 1993 season as a member of the Atlanta Falcons.

For 35 years, Drew has been painting his heroes, including Miles Davis, Barbra Streisand, Bob Marley, Serena Williams, Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson, Dizzy Gillespie, Jim Brown, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Janet Jackson, African boys and girls "Coming of Age," and hopes to portray many more.  Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall has purchased one of his paintings.  He has never taken any art classes.

He's been friends with Muhammad Ali, Marvin Gaye, Burt Reynolds, and the late Richard Pryor.  He's owned nightclubs, appeared in movies and lived the American dream, but also the American nightmare. He's battled drug, alcohol and steroid addiction. He's lived in mansions and on the streets, and that is reflected in his art. Now, at 53, he paints full time. As gifted as he is, he's never had an exhibition and dreams one day he'll have a show in Santa Monica, California, where he now resides.