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The Unique Journey of Joe Everson

By CAMERON KOUBEK - cameron.koubek@uslsoccer.com, 03/10/21, 2:00PM EST

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The Greenville artist went from an easel in his laundry room to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s private collection

Joe Everson is in rare company, in more ways than one. The Greenville, South Carolina-based artist is the country’s only singing painter, and a friend of Arnold Schwarzenegger. His work hangs in the personal collections of Schwarzenegger, the Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green, and actor Michael Rooker, among others.

Everson’s route to success (and more than 225 million views of his videos on social media) began in 2016 at an ice rink in Toledo, Ohio. At the time, he was searching for a way to make his work stand out, and had the idea to paint the famous image of American soldiers raising a flag on Iwo Jima while simultaneously singing the national anthem. His performance before that minor league hockey game would change his life.

“A lot of people don’t know that at that point, I had reached one of those last-ditch effort moments as an artist, where I was like ‘If I don’t come up with something soon, I’ll probably be doing the part-time artist thing again.’” said Everson. “I just kind of put it all on the ice that night and went for it.

“It was upside down while I painted the majority of it, and at the end of the song, I turned the canvas right-side up and the response was so crazy. I was kind of startled, to be honest. It was something different, and I knew something special had happened.”

The video of Everson’s performance got more than 2 million views on social media in less than a day. Suddenly, Everson began a whirlwind tour of media appearances, and he went from relatively unknown to the national spotlight in a matter of weeks. He has since performed at multiple major sporting events, including NBA, NFL, and MLS games, as well as numerous charity functions.


Joe and Arnold Schwarzenegger / Photo courtesy Joe Everson

“The nature of a good bit of my work revolves around military charities, and those are probably the biggest highlights for me,” said Everson. “Another big highlight would be going to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s house. I love hanging out with the guy, and it blows my mind that every time I go out there, he gives me a hug and says hello.”

Artistically, Everson’s style is bold and colorful. He counts Austrian artist VOKA - a self-described spontaneous realist - among his biggest influences. Everson describes his own style as “loose,” and has a particular affinity for painting sports figures.

“I’ve always told people I’d one day love to be an artist for the Olympics or a team or something like that, that allows me to paint those action moments and implore a lot of color or bursts of motion,” he said.

“When I grew up, I used to think realism was the end all. That was the goal - do an oil painting and it looks real. But at the end of the day, where’s my personality in that piece? That’s just how I feel now. Nothing against anyone who does realism painting, that takes a lot of technique and skill and you do see the personality come through. But I do enjoy showing that wild side a little bit, and I think that’d probably be my favorite style.”


Joe finishing a performance before an LA Galaxy match in style / Photo courtesy Joe Everson

When he’s not on the road or performing, Everson is a soccer lover. He’s performed for his hometown League One club, Greenville Triumph SC, and his passion for the sport began when he was a kid.

Growing up, Everson loved sports but had to battle migraines. That made playing sports in gyms difficult, but soccer didn’t present the same hurdles.

As an artist, he has performed before both LA Galaxy and Sporting Kansas City games. He also has a son named Beckham.

“I don’t think my wife would say he was named after anyone in particular, but I was OK with it, let’s put it that way,” Everson said with a laugh.

When his schedule permits him some time back in the Upstate, Everson is a supporter of Triumph SC as well.

“A friend of mine heads up the [Reedy River] Riot, so I definitely know what that culture’s about and I love it,” he said. “I wish I weren’t on the road so much, or I’d probably be at every game.”

Throughout his journey, from an easel in his laundry room to the ice rink in Toledo to national recognition, Everson has always been willing to offer a word of advice for those looking to follow in his footsteps.

“When I first started, I decided one day I’m an artist. And whether I made it didn’t matter at that point. I basically needed to convince myself that it was what I do,” said Everson. “This is before the viral videos and all that, I started painting every day because I was motivated by the passion and by the love of it, and I enjoyed sharing it with the world. But how is the world going to see what you do? Taking those opportunities when you get them can be very scary for an artist.

“For other artists dealing with that, remember that people do want to see what you do. There are always people who will not like your style. I’m sure there are some people who might not like mine. But be willing to go outside of that, and learn some of those other techniques because it’s going to make you better at what you love.”


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