G.O.A.T.

A note from the artist:

I researched this painting for about 6 or 7 years. It was an obvious theme to me to tackle, but in researching the piece I would always get hung up on a sport or 2 where the greatest of all time wasn’t totally clear to me. I loved
sports growing up and was a baseball player throughout high school, along with running cross country. The athletes I grew up watching informed my decision of who to include and I also considered their characters as
well. Of course, stats were important to my choices, as was public opinion. I considered including Pele but decided to do 7 books instead of 8. Joe Montana was originally on the football book, but I sanded him off and
went with Tom Brady instead as Brady’s stats made him the obvious choice to me. I strongly considered painting Tiger Woods again but after considering some of the controversies surrounding him and talking with golfers, the Golden Bear became my choice. Roger Federer was a clearer choice to me when I began the piece – since that time Nadal has surpassed him in some metrics. But I really admire Federer for how he handled himself on the court and off.
I’m already considering a sequel painting. Labron James, for example, is a great basketball player and is still on the court, putting up numbers. Maybe, someday, Patrick Mahomes will be considered the greatest of all time. He’ll need to stay healthy and win many more Super Bowls. So, the greatest of all time is an evolving list, but as for me, at the time of painting G.O.A.T., in my heart and in my mind, these are the greatest of all time in their respective sports.

-Gleadow-