The last time the Seattle Seahawks played the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, Aaron Hazel had to rethink his whole life. He had built much of his early artistic career painting the Seattle Seahawks. Not only was he painting and selling vignettes from the team’s big wins, but players were commissioning him to paint large portraits and other scenes.
In 2014, when the Seahawks trounced the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XL-VIII, Hazel’s work became so in demand that he was able to leave his bartending job and become a full-time artist. But then came Super Bowl XLIX, during which the Seahawks’ quarterback threw an interception with 20 seconds left in the game, which led to a 28 – 24 loss to the New England Patriots.
“The Seahawks were about to become back-to-back Super Bowl champs, which would have been at least five years’ worth of work for me,” Hazel says. “All they had to do was give the ball to Marshawn Lynch to run it in for a touchdown. But, instead, they threw it and got picked off at the one-yard line.”
Read the full article in the May/June 2026 issue.
Ready
oil
60″ by 48″
Resolute
oil
36″ by 36″
