Sophomore guard Chris Austin is well-known across campus. A star Fordham Men’s Basketball player, Austin has shown his strength on the court every time he steps out there. In the last game that the men’s team was able to play, Austin scored the most points, 14, while also grabbing four rebounds. 

In the few games that the men have been able to play, Austin has consistently shown up and played hard for his team. This is not the only thing that he can do, though. Recently, Austin has been able to showcase his talents off the court as well. 

During a television broadcast of their game against UMass, Austin’s artwork was showcased. The incredible detail and design that Austin puts into each piece of his is something not to be missed. 

Austin explains how it felt to have his artwork displayed on TV. He said, “I was really surprised. I wasn’t expecting that to ever happen with any of my drawings. So I was just thankful to the sports media department for allowing that to happen. Really cool moment for me for sure.”

Austin then explained what inspires him to draw, and he said that he “has many inspirations to draw” and the first one “would be from my family.”

“Everyone in my family is artistic. My sister in particular is an extremely talented artist (way better than me). She runs her own art business online and has quite a large following. My mother was also a great artist and still produces beautiful art now as her hobby. And on top of all those influences, I constantly research and look at other great artists out there either online or in art galleries. Art is something I constantly have fun admiring just as much as I do creating it myself.” 

Austin also explained when he first discovered that he liked to draw. He said, “I started to draw when I was very young. Maybe 5 or 6. I didn’t start to become more serious until a year or two ago, but I have drawn off and on throughout my entire life.”

Austin also described his favorite type of subjects to draw. He said, “I prefer to draw mostly people and more specifically portraits. But I like to draw nature or buildings as well sometimes.” 

In revealing how his sport impacts his art, Austin said that it is “mostly in the subjects that [he] chooses” where this influence is really shown. He explained further, “I am a huge fan and spectator of sports. So I really enjoy drawing the athletes that are my favorites and in which I respect most. Also I personally feel that drawing is like a sport in a lot of ways. They both require time, dedication and patience in your work.” 

When asked if he planned to make a career out of drawing, Austin said, “That’s a tough question to answer in this stage of my life, but I do enjoy creating and sharing my art. I feel like I can improve so much more so right now. I would like to just appreciate art for what it is and just see where it takes me. I would be content with wherever that may be.”

We hope to continue to see Chris Austin’s artwork on and off the court.