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Hi. My name's Rob Schamberger. I'm that guy who paints rasslers. And other stuff. And you have not seen nothin’ yet.
WORDS
With Cody Rhodes returning at the 2023 Royal Rumble I knew the time was right to make a new painting of him. I chose to do the moment he walked into Hell in a Cell, his ring jacket still covering up the heinous bruise from his pectoral injury, but the look is there in his eyes for what he knows is about to happen. It’s one of the most undeniably courageous matches in WWE history in my opinion, Cody facing off against Seth Rollins with pretty much only one functional arm and still coming out of it victorious. It’s the stuff of legends, and that’s just the sort of thing I paint.
This is my first painting after slowing down a bit, taking a couple weeks to make a new piece instead of less than one. Because of that, I’m getting more ambitious about the details in my work and between Cody’s jacket and the chain link fencing surrounding the Cell this was the perfect painting to challenge myself with. This is all done with watercolor, a ton of perseverance and a lifetime of developing my skill and I hope it serves as a harbinger of what you can expect from me going forward!
ICYMI, here's last week's Canvas 2 Canvas episode. Tomorrow's episode will go up on WWE's YouTube channel at 11AM CST!
UPCOMING VIDEOS
2/12 - Asuka
2/26 - Judgment Day
3/12 - Bray Wyatt
Card subject to change.
Hundreds of prints and paintings at Schamberger Labs!
Rob and Jason Arnett's novella Rudow Can't Fail!
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Signed prints at WWE Auction.
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YouTube
SCHAMBERGER LABS: THE SERIES!
I’m back to work on the Wrestling Landscape Series, this time featuring Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 12! I’ve got my primer coat down, some guide point deep shadows, and the furthest-back area in the arena as well. This will be another acrylic piece at 15” x 20”.
WWE2K23 ICON EDITION
What a wild week!
Monday morning I was sitting in my dentist’s waiting room when a friend texted me with congratulations for doing the cover to the video game. That’s how I found out it’d been announced! I was quickly texting Katy to let her know when the hygienist came to get me.
After my cleaning (all good on the tooth front! Insert ‘oral health’ joke here!) I was in my car putting something on social before going across the street to my weekly therapy session. Fun Fact: It was my last work with SuperCard that got me to start therapy! Four-ish years later with some intensive work I’m in a much better place emotionally and we spent the session making sure I was going to take care of myself this time around and then trying to find ways to let myself enjoy the experience.
And it’s been a tremendous experience. Monday especially was an outpouring of love from people around the world saying very kind things about the cover. Friends, family, coworkers, it was up and down very positive. And then the commercial aired during WWE Raw showing the art at the end, followed by my pal Jake Black who was at the show sending me a picture of the cover up on the TitanTron! Is this real life?
Like…by the numbers I was likely the most-viewed painter in the world on Monday, between Raw, social media, and all of the coverage the game received. No, I’ll never wrap my head around that.
See? Going to the dentist is a GOOD thing!
That’s my work being seen by the thousands in attendance and millions at home around the world. No pressure.
The majority of my life for the past ten years has been me sitting in my studio, painting. Me alone inside of four walls, making art. Obviously sales are strong enough to keep me going, and each year at WrestleMania Axxess I exhibit and hear from people, but all day Monday was a glorious reminder that this work has been connecting with people for a decade now.
I’m choked up typing this right now. Legitimately. Thank you.
It’s the biggest achievement of my career to date and I’m so grateful that thanks to you it’s not happening in a void, alone in my studio. I get to share this joy with you. That’s special and I don’t take it for granted.
YOU GOOD?
Katy and I flew to San Antonio for the Royal Rumble, our second time working a Rumble. Highlights included getting some great face time with 2K as well as WWE folks from headquarters that I rarely get to see in person, and of course working with the Superstars to get a variety of prints signed.
The biggest moment though was going out to the floor to watch the WWE 2K23 commercial with my cover with all of the fans. It felt…real. I’m not going to say what all was going through my head as it’s deeply personal, but once the commercial was done I hugged Katy tight, thanked her for being the person I get to share all of this with and told her how much I love her.
There was a Rob Room last night that had nothing to do with me, which I don’t understand at all.
All of this doesn’t mean much if I can’t share it with someone who feels the same joy I do, and Katy’s the one who’s been there for everything all throughout.
These next two lines are for you, wife:
Love you more,
Rob
EXCLUSIVE PAID SUBSCRIBER CONTENT
Paid subscribers this week will get an exclusive 25% off discount code for prints, upcoming signed print releases at WWE Auction, access to the exclusive chat, and 24 hour advance access for the original Cody Rhodes painting. WE ARE GO FOR PAYWALL.
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