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Hi. My name's Rob Schamberger. I'm that guy who paints rasslers. And other stuff. History shows again and again, how nature points out the folly of men.

I’ve made paintings of Samoa Joe for over a decade now and I’ve found that the towel around his neck is a surprisingly versatile design element for putting a composition together. It creates a natural separation of planes that gives me a lot to work with. Who’da thunk it? That’s one of the benefits of specializing with the subject of pro wrestling for so long, that I’ve trained my eye to spot how to utilize all of these elements to create art.

Speaking of repetition, you might remember this painting from a month or two back, based on having done a couple other studies and trying to chase a look and feel. I got there with this, and then was able to in turn apply that knowledge into my new Samoa Joe painting. Everything informs everything else and all of the pieces matter.

Card subject to change.

Rob’s Art on ShopAEW
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Rob and Jason Arnett's novella Rudow Can't Fail!
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Rob’s prints and shirts at Pro Wrestling Tees
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Bluesky
Cara
YouTube
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Katy’s book Oldest Kansas City

And if you’re really into thumbtack wrestling matches, there’s some new posters up at ShopAEW too! Get it? GET IT? You hang them up with thumbtacks! WOCKA WOCKA WOCKA.

Due to time, the elements and misguided yet good-intentioned caretakers so much of the art from this time has lost its brilliant color, but some bits like on the figure above still have signs of it. Also, one way to tell where certain pieces came from (as so many artifacts were pillaged by European colonizers) is by the pigments used to color them as not every mineral was available to each region.

One utterly incredible part of the exhibit is the Codex Laud, part of the pictographic history of the region’s peoples, their cultures and their beliefs. This is a vibrant document that took my breath away to see in person. Very few of these survive as the European colonizers and their Catholic missionaries were under instruction to destroy them as the Codices went against their own faith. But golly it’s lovely to see this one. I plan to go back and spend time just studying it.

There are a few sculptures that still have their pigments on them like this Mixtec funerary urn and it’s quite stunning to see. This piece in particular is gorgeous on every level, from the craftsmanship to the imagination in representing the figure. These subdued colors are sublime, aren’t they? It’s inspiring to see something from over 1400 years ago that still feels so immediate and modern.

And of course, you knew I’d be excited to see a Zapotec figure. Their lines and overall design speak right to my imagination. This one is intricate yet massive and I can’t stop thinking about it. A level of craftsmanship that artisans of today still aspire to.

I’m sad that my education about America growing up in the 1980’s and 90’s was so Eurocentric, leading me to miss out on learning about how deep and rich the cultures of the people who lived here for thousands of years before the colonizers came. It’s equally sad that so many in our country today are trying so hard to reject and dismiss not just the culture but the peoples who carry it on. But there’s no time like the present and I’m excited to further my own knowledge and appreciation.

It got really cold here in Kansas City on Sunday, which was a perfect excuse to make my chili mac. I followed that recipe but subbed in veggie crumbles, added some diced mushroom, grated the garlic instead of dicing it, added my homemade red wine vinegar to offset the intensity of the liquid smoke, and sauteed the veggies and crumbles in my homemade roasted garden pepper oil. Katy said it’s the best batch yet.

It’s probably the first thing I really truly nailed when I started my cooking hobby so it’s stayed in the rotation. I like that now I’m making a couple of the ingredients from scratch, that feels neat. Tastes neat, too!

Love you more,
Rob