“Toronto’s Rapture” is a tribute to Vince Carter and his indelible impact he’s had on the Toronto culture. As a young man I was always in awe of this slam dunking super hero. I was part of the “Vinsanity” mania. As a Toronto Raptor, Vince Carter and T-Dot fan, this painting was my fate.
Source: Toronto’s Rapture( On Canvas, Signed, Hand Embellished, and includes a Cert. of Authenticity)
I could go into a diatribe on how Vince Carter is the most underrated player of his era and then discuss that this was his own fault as he became so conflicted as a player who was seen only as a dunker that he stopped dunking and began developing other aspects of his game losing a lot of the excitement that made the world gasp in awe at his skill. I could do that, but it would undercut the years of ball he gave to Memphis as a part of the Grit & Grind Grizzlies. His deadly catch and shoot three pointers added depth to a very shallow offensive pool for our local NBA squad.
Adding that three point shot extended his career to the point where at 40 years old the guy that Bua has painted putting his elbow in the rim while rocking a pair of Tai Chi And1’s, is still playing in the NBA. I really wish he was still in Memphis with Z Bo and Tony Allen, but the Grizzlies broke up the band and tanked the season only to end up with the 4th pick in a draft I think is overrated, but that’s another story.
Bua has crafted one of his classic skyline paintings to capture a moment in NBA history that will live on long after Half Man-Half Amazing has walked out of the arena for the last time. I can’t pretend to know what Vince Carter meant to Toronto, but I know what he meant to me. We named our son after him after he left, before an important game, to walk in his graduation after earning his Bachelor’s Degree. I saw in that guy who said screw basketball for a moment, this is for my parents, a true role model and throughout his basketball career he’s remained a symbol of what the league can be. Elegant, graceful, humble, explosive, mesmerizing and a symbol of strength and character.
Use the source link to visit Bua’s painting and website. I think you’ll find it as dope as I do.
