Artist teams up with Richard Sherman to help kids
Sep 11, 2015, 11:36 AM | Updated: 12:21 pm
After decades, artist Keegan Allen picked his pencil back up and began drawing again. Now he's a Seahawks favorite, working with Richard Sherman for a good cause. (Image courtesy Keegan Hall)
(Image courtesy Keegan Hall)
Can art really change lives?
If you ask Keegan Hall — without a doubt. And with the help of the Seahawks’ Richard Sherman, he hopes one of his newest works can raise $40,000 to help underprivileged kids.
Hall grew up in an Sumner trailer with little money. His mom worked tirelessly to support the family and his artistic aspirations.
Keegan always drew and painted, and ultimately enrolled at the University of Washington, where he studied art in hopes of becoming an animator.
But Hall recalls “the real world got in the way,” and he ended up taking a sales job with the Sonics.
It satiated his love of sports, but in turn, he ended up putting down his pencil and wouldn’t pick it up again for years.
He became a big shot in business across several companies, but then came the biggest blow he’d ever face — cancer that his mom had been battling returned last November after two years in remission.
“One time, she wasn’t feeling well on Friday, went into the hospital on Saturday and actually passed away on Sunday,” he said.
He was devastated; his mom never far from his mind.
“One day I was just remembering all the times that she really enjoyed my artwork growing up. She was always my number one fan,” Hall said.
So in the months to follow he was inspired to draw something. He sketched a picture of his favorite athlete, Michael Jordan, and posted it online. The reaction from family and friends was overwhelming.
Then a friend asked him to draw a picture of Seahawks standout Kam Chancellor. When he posted that, even Chancellor was blown away. He saw it and retweeted it to thousands of followers.
They connected and Chancellor asked him to do something custom for him.
Other Seahawks, including Richard Sherman, saw it and now, he’s teamed up with Sherman for a new fundraiser.
Hall proposed turning one of his special drawings of the Legion of Boom into a custom fundraiser, with all the proceeds going to Sherman’s Blanket Coverage Foundation.
On Sept. 11, Keegan will make just 200 limited edition prints signed by both Sherman and himself available on Keegan’s website.
The goal is to raise $40,000 to provide everything from backpacks and books to clothes for low-income kids.
“Sherman’s background really parallels my background as a youngster, growing up in a low-income area, not having a lot of things growing up,” Keegan said. “I don’t want to make a little difference, I want to make a big difference.”
