Combining his passion for art with his love of sports has been a natural career path for Sarasota, Florida artist Alvin Fall. Alvin produces professional sports art for teams, athletes, fans, and organizations. His work is nationally recognized and has been featured among some of the most well-known sports artists of our time.
Growing up in Colorado, Kansas, and Missouri Alvin discovered his knack for illustrating athletes by referencing his sports magazines and football card collection. “I was surprised and encouraged by the outcome of images I was drawing. Then I started noticing sports art displayed on trading cards and in magazines. I particularly enjoyed the sports art painting on the back cover of Beckett magazine. I used to study those paintings and wonder if I could ever create artwork that detailed and realistic. Little did I know, 30 years later my artwork would be featured in the same magazine!”
Attending high school in the mid 90’s Alvin focused on developing his artistic skill and introduced color to his artwork. With the vibrant colors and lifelike details of his colored pencil illustrations they were often mistaken for airbrush. Alvin’s artwork took first place in many art competitions in high school.
At Missouri Southern State University, Alvin majored in studio art with an emphasis in graphic design. During this time, he continued to develop his craft and explore different mediums, learning basic principals of graphic design, excelling in typography, and life drawing classes. While attending MSSU, Alvin again won multiple awards in local and national competitions, including “The American Scholastic Press Associations “Outstanding Artist” award in 2001. To date, Alvin is the only Missouri Southern State University alum to have won this prestigious award.
After earning his Bachelor’s Degree in 2002, Alvin moved to Sarasota, Florida where he began his quest of becoming a professional sports artist. Sarasota is a small beach town located on Florida’s Suncoast. Sarasota has a fluent local art scene, a rich art history, and beautiful white sandy beaches that fade into the calm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
“I chose Sarasota because I wanted to live by the beach and create art for a living.” Alvin says with a smile. “It sounds simple and it is in a way. The reality is that it has taken a tremendous amount of work to get where I am as an artist today. There is a lot of work to be done to get where I want to go. I am proud of my accomplishments and excited for the future. I keep grinding because I truly enjoy being in the studio and I want to be the best sports artist I can be.” Alvin states.
Alvin’s highest honor to date is producing Officially Licensed NFL Artwork for the Deacon Jones Foundation. The “DJF” is a non- profit organization created in 1997 by Elizabeth Jones, the wife of NFL Hall of Famer Deacon Jones.
In 2019 and 2020 Alvin’s artwork was featured alongside some of the World’s top sports artist as part of the “Beckett Sports Art Team.” As part of the B.S.A.T. his illustrations were featured in Beckett Magazine’s first and second annual “Sports Artist Spotlight”. Beckett Magazine (founded in 1984) is the world’s premiere sports trading card and memorabilia magazine. Alvin was honored to be featured in the same magazine that helped inspire him to become a sports artist as a young boy.
Additional highlights of Alvin’s ongoing sports art career include:
Alvin producing his first major league painting in 2007. A commission piece by the Tampa Bay Rays of franchise left fielder Carl Crawford.
In 2008 he was invited by the International Olympic Committee to compete in the “Official Olympic Art Competition”.
In 2008, Alvin was also Commissioned by the University of South Florida Athletic Department to commemorate the first decade of the USF football program.
In 2015 is artwork was signed by University of Arkansas alum and back-to-back Heisman Trophy runner up Darren McFadden and auctioned off for the “Red Tie” charity event benefiting University of Arkansas Athletics.
Alvin continues to develop his vision and skill by exploring his creativity through composition, color, and attention to detail, all while keeping fans in mind. “I want to produce artwork that sports fans and athletes alike are proud to hang on their walls”. I have high expectations for myself and plan to continue growing and improving as I continue this fantastic journey.
Commissions, Prints, and Originals are available upon request. For inquiries, please contact us at www.alvin@alvinfall.com
