Artist Caleb Brown has created vibrant portraits of some of the country’s biggest cultural icons.
The Mercer University alumnus has worked with Grammy Award winners, bestselling authors, entertainers and athletes, with much of his artwork being commissions.
The subjects for his paintings have included Little Richard, Malcom X, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, former President Jimmy Carter, Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson, and University of Oklahoma quarterback and 2019 Heisman Trophy runner-up Jalen Hurts.
Brown graduated from Mercer in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in art and was a running back when the University restarted its football program in 2013. He entered Mercer with the goal of becoming a physical therapist, but during his senior year, he decided to follow his passion and become a full-time artist instead.
He’s completed dozens of paintings of Mercer student-athletes, with about 30 currently displayed in the Drake Field House. He made cover art for programs for the 2018 football season and creates portraits every year for the Athletic Foundation’s 400 Fund.
In 2019, he painted cleats for Pittsburgh Steelers’ cornerback Mike Hilton and Cleveland Browns’ linebacker Mack Wilson for the NFL’s “My Cause My Cleats” campaign.
Mercer Made is a series in which we feature notable people, businesses, products and inventions connected to Mercer University.
