Sports and art are usually considered two completely different walks of life. There are artists, and then there are athletes. In schools, there’s art class and then there’s gym class. It’s very rare that art and athletics come together, but according to an innovative artist, they are more closely related than you might think.
　
Randall J. Henrie, who is both an artist and an athlete, has come up with an idea to merge to two worlds together. He has started a project, “Sports - A Celebration of Life,” which features vibrant works of art depicting sports from around the world.
　
“Sports are often considered a distraction from the traditional arts,” he said. “But sports are a large part of world culture. This project is a way to bring sports and art together.”
　
Henrie explains that sports and art are in fact intertwined in many ways. They are both forms of expression, they both involve very precise movements and thoughts, and, most importantly, they both show “an exuberance for life.”
　
The artwork itself is intended to be bright, bold, colorful, vibrant, and celebratory. Thirty sports were chosen to be a worldwide and inclusive representation, while still giving the project a manageable scope.
　
Currently Henrie has completed artwork depicting golf, rugby, and cycling. But in order to continue his mission, he needs help from the public. He has launched a Kickstarter.com fundraising effort with a deadline of December 22, 2012. A “crowd funding” website, Kickstarter.com allows supporters to pledge funds to the project. Supporters can choose from 30 different pledge levels. Each level contains a different package of Henrie’s artwork that they will receive in return.
　
For as little as $1, donors can support the project. A $5 pledge will get you 6 digital files of Henrie’s artwork for use as screensavers, wallpaper, digital picture frames, and more. For higher pledge amounts, packages include high-value art, such as signed limited edition prints.
“Sports - A Celebration of Life,” seeks to honor and celebrate this vibrant expression of life with 30 original works of art, each depicting one of the most popular sport activities from around the world.
　
“My hope is that this project will in some way bring the world of sports and the world of art together. It would be nice, but this project will likely not accomplish world peace or end world hunger. But, I do think it can serve in some way to remind us all that there is a lot of good life happening that is worthy of celebrating. I think of it as the antidote to negative news,” Henrie explained.
　
Henrie, who holds a Master’s Degree in Architecture, is a road cyclist and lifts weights on a daily basis. He is also getting back into archery, a sport he once practiced regularly. He is also a personal trainer and former gym owner.
　
The ultimate goal for Henrie is to receive enough funding for the project that he can continue creating more artworks beginning early in 2013.
　
The 30 sports he hopes to create artwork of include association football/soccer, cricket, field hockey, tennis, volleyball, table tennis/ping-pong, baseball, golf, basketball, American football, rugby, bicycling, motorsports, aquatics, skiing, track & field, rodeo, equestrian, Winter Olympics, Summer Olympics, shooting, boating, boxing/combat, martial arts, badminton, ice hockey, gymnastics, extreme/adventure, archery, and bowling.
　
The complete list of sports can be reviewed at
http://www.randalljhenrie.com/sports

To make a pledge and view some of his current artwork visit

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2043950201/sports-a-celebration-of-life