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Though he always has loved drawing – it was his first real hobby – Caleb Brown never was interested in painting. In fact, until the final semester of his senior year at Mercer University, Brown actually hated painting. "I have always been artistically inclined," Brown said. "I was just a little bit better than my peers, though. But I never thought that I could make a decent living as an artist." Also athletically gifted, Brown was a member of Mercer's inaugural football team and excelled in the classroom as a student in Mercer's pre-physical therapy program. e turning point came during the winter break of Brown's senior year of college. "I was working a physical therapy internship by day and had started painting portraits at night," he said. "I battled boredom at my internship, but it wasn't long before I recognized that painting ignited my passion." Portraiture, specifically, spoke to Brown. "Looking at someone's face, or looking at a depiction of a memorable moment, can conjure warm feelings again and again. I think that's what I love most about portrait painting," he said. PERFORMANCE PAINTING e next semester, Brown enrolled in Painting 101. ough Brown admits his performance in that first class was probably "underwhelming," his art instructor, Eric O'Dell, exposed him to the demanding, yet rewarding world of art-making and inspired the a possible career in art. About the same time, Brown discovered an artist named David Garibaldi via Twitter. "He is a world-renowned performance speed painter, and I witnessed one of his performances on social media. He was at an album release party for Future. Garibaldi was dancing and jumping around while painting a portrait of Future, all in five minutes," he said. "I was so intrigued that, at a talent show later that year, I did a speed painting during intermission and everyone loved it! at is ultimately what got me thinking about the possibility of pursuing art as a profession." Originally from Fayetteville, Brown graduated from Fayette County High School. "I absolutely love my hometown," he said. "My family life was good, I played sports, loved video games and got into trouble." Always a big Alabama Crimson Tide football fan, Brown earned the nickname "Bama." CALEB BROWN'S INSPIRATIONAL JOURNEY T FROM PIGSKIN TO PALETTE BY LISA PRITCHARD MAYFIELD | PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATT ODOM 4 0 M ACO N M AG A Z I N E.CO M O C TO B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 9