Anthony Bourdain changed the way I looked at the world. This portrait explores the curiosity, connection, and symbolism that made his work so influential in my own life.
Read moreMac Miller "Don't Trip" Fine Art Portrait by Kyle Mosher (2026)
Swimming came into my life during a strange chapter of my career. I'd already been a full-time artist for several years, but I was starting to experience a different kind of pressure. The excitement of "making it" had slowly been replaced by the pressure to keep growing, keep creating, and keep proving to myself that I belonged here.
Mac had a way of writing about those feelings without making them feel hopeless. There was always this balance of honesty, gratitude, and optimism that kept me coming back to that album.
When I started this portrait, I knew I didn't want it to be just another likeness. I wanted it to reward a second look.
Throughout the piece are small references to Mac's life and music, including Pittsburgh, his hand-drawn smiley face, hidden "MM" initials, a custom interpretation of his flower tattoo, and the subtle "Don't Trip" typography inspired by the hat he wore during his legendary Tiny Desk performance.
One of my favorite parts of making artwork like this is hiding those little details in plain sight. Some people will notice them immediately, and others might not catch them until they've lived with the piece for a while.
Mac Miller Tribute Portrait
One of the hardest things that no one tells you about chasing your dreams is the loneliness and alienation that comes with the journey. If we give everything to our craft what’s left for the people we love or ourselves? Mac Miller’s last album is the epitome of finding and crafting art from our inner soul even if that means going to some pretty dark places. A painfully honest and beautifully introspective look into the depths of his being. He put it all on the table. As an artist, no album has ever, or probably will ever, make more sense to me then, “Swimming.” It paralleled everything I was going through last year. I’m forever grateful for people like Mac Miller who are unapologetically flawed and yet real and brave enough to give everything they have to their craft. That level of commitment makes me feel a little less crazy and a little less lonely on my own journey.
“And sometimes, sometimes I wish I took a simpler route, instead of havin' demons that's as big as my house..” - Mac Miller (2018)