Rita Carvalho
Rita Carvalho | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1997 (age 26–27) |
| Other names | Rita Oak |
| Alma mater | ESAD Matosinhos – Escola Superior de Artes e Design |
| Occupation | Artist |
Rita Carvalho is a Portuguese artist who posts online under the username Rita Oak (her last name means "oak" in Portuguese[1]) and has gained notoriety for illustrating NFL player Jimmy Garoppolo.
Education
[edit]Rita Carvalho studied art in high school and in 2021, graduated from the ESAD College of Arts and Design, an art school in Matosinhos, Portugal.[2] Choosing to take a gap year after graduation, Carvalho experimented with different artistic mediums, including digital illustrations.[3]
Online posts
[edit]Brainstorming with her 49ers fan boyfriend, Carvalho decided to create an illustration of Jimmy Garoppolo who at the time was injured and enmeshed in trade rumors. She posted her illustration on Reddit on February 3, 2022, and later said it was the first time she posted her art online. The illustration depicted Garoppolo with hearts and a tag that said "Thank you for everything Jimmy." She said "my first drawing was sort of just a 'Thank You' note showing how grateful we were for everything he did for the team. I was kind of sad to see him go."[4] The post garnered 1,300 upvotes and Carvalho was overwhelmed with the positive response.[3] The following day, she posted another illustration of Garoppolo with the tag "Drawing Jimmy G everyday until he gets traded. Day 2" and continued to post a new one in the days following that, receiving growing praise and attention.[5] She created the drawings using her iPad with a stylus and the graphics editing app Procreate.[6]
Carvalho began to integrate pop culture references: day 7 was Garoppolo on the cover of GQ, day 12 was Valentine's Day themed and on day 18, Garoppolo was depicted as Jimmy "James" Bond.[3] She also started an online shop where fans could purchase her drawings on hoodies, mugs and t-shirts.[5]
Instead of being traded as most predicted, Garoppolo signed a one-year extension with the 49ers on August 29, 2022, which corresponded with day 208 of her series. On day 209, she posted a witty response to the extension rooted in the movie The Wolf of Wall Street with the movie quote "I'm not leaving! The show goes on!" She continued her series until Garoppolo signed with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023 for a total of 404 daily drawings.[7] The final drawing incorporated a Shawshank Redemption theme and showed Garoppolo kneeling as Andy Dufresne breaking out of prison, shirtless and arms wide open as he's embracing the rain and quotes of praise from his 49ers teammates, coaches and general manager.[8][9][10]
Garoppolo has commented on her drawings, saying "I really appreciate it. It's really cool, just the uniqueness to it."[2] 49ers teammate George Kittle also commented on the drawings, saying "she drew me as Cartman, and I thought that was pretty good." Kittle made the depiction of himself in Carvalho's drawing his avatar on Twitter.[2][11]
Personal life
[edit]She lives in Porto, Portugal and continues to publish her illustrations.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Barrows, Matt (September 1, 2022). "Artist thought Jimmy Garoppolo series was over, but show goes on for Rita Oak". The Athletic. Archived from the original on September 1, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ a b c Wagoner, Nick (July 2, 2022). "From 007 to 'Dirty Dancing': Why one San Francisco 49ers fan is drawing Jimmy Garoppolo every day until he's traded". ESPN. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ a b c Schultz, Alex (February 25, 2022). "Meet the 49ers fan who's sketching increasingly absurd Jimmy Garoppolo artwork until he's traded". SFGATE. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ Hoefling, Jon (September 1, 2022). "The Jimmy Garoppolo drawings will live on". Deadspin. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ a b Ostler, Scott (March 15, 2023). "Rita Oak's 404 Jimmy Garoppolo drawings gave 49ers fans daily fun. Is she glad it's over?". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ Alvarez, Chris (April 10, 2022). "49ers fan and artist drawing Jimmy Garoppolo everyday until he's traded". KGO-TV. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ Weber, Brendan (March 14, 2023). "'What a Crazy Ride': Artist's Jimmy Garoppolo Drawing Series Comes to a Close at 404 Days". KNTV. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ Wu, Daniel (March 16, 2023). "She drew a 49ers player for 404 days. It launched her art career". Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ Ricks, William (March 13, 2023). "Garoppolo to Raiders ends artist's 404-day drawing spree". ESPN. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ Hernandez, Victoria (March 13, 2023). "Artist who drew Jimmy Garoppolo every day he awaited trade shares final piece inspired by 'Shawshank Redemption'". USA Today. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ "Artist's drawings of Jimmy Garoppolo go viral amid trade drama". KTVU. September 12, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2024.