Drake Ramberg is Portland through and through. He was born in the city, went to college at Portland State University, is an avid fan of the local Timbers and Trail Blazers, and has worked at Nike—headquartered in nearby Beaverton, Ore.—since 1987.
Unsurprisingly, his passion for the Rose City and its sports is evident in his artwork. When he isn’t spending time as Senior Design Operations Manager at Nike, watching his beloved Arsenal FC or playing soccer himself, Ramberg is drawing. He recently featured iconic Portland Timbers (MLS) and Portland Thorns (NWSL) players in a series of paintings and caricatures at The Toffee Club in town.
“It’s an outlet for me to get back to my roots,” said Ramberg, who has designed soccer kits for clubs including Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain. “I grew up always drawing people. I have sketch books filled with drawings. I was always interested in doing caricatures and illustrations of athletes.”
The Toffee Club is an English pub owned by fellow Nike employee Peter Hoppins, wife Niki Diamond, and Hoppins’ brother Jack. When the trio were looking for artwork to display in the establishment, Peter spoke to Ramberg and they decided an exhibit featuring the city’s soccer legends would be a great addition. Ramberg feverishly created his collection called KICK, which was on display in the pub through May, featuring former and current Timbers and Thorns players including Darlington Nagbe, Alex Morgan, Nat Borchers, and Clive Charles. In fact, Borchers, who won the 2015 Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup with Portland, liked his illustration so much he bought it from Ramberg.

Drake Ramberg Showcases Love for Portland Sports With Artwork

Cookies Policy