Athlete-turned-artist finds a home in Sisters

He was supposed to be one of the best high school quarterbacks in the nation - and he was. He was supposed to be one of the best college quarterbacks in the nation - and he was. He was supposed to be one of the best professional quarterbacks in the National Football League - but it never happened.

Once he attained a level that was more the dream of his father's than his own, he let it all slip away. Today, he is living in Sisters, living the dream - the dream that matters most to him: to be a successful artist, husband, and dad.

His name is Todd Marinovich.

Marinovich is known for the intense training program created by his father Marv that started from the crib. Marv had studied Eastern Bloc training methods and applied the techniques to Todd at a very young age. It focused on strength, speed, and flexibility; and a diet of fresh vegetables, fruits and raw milk.

The intense training led Marinovich to high school All-American honors and later a scholarship to the University of Southern Calilfornia. After wining a Rose Bowl as a freshman, Marinovich declared for the NFL draft after his sophomore year, the first player to do so, and was the 24th pick of the first round, drafted by the Oakland Raiders. Two years later, his career was over.

Twenty years down the road, Marinovich is picking up the pieces of his life after having spent numerous stints in jail and rehab for drug addiction. Now, as a Sisters resident, Marinovich is looking forward to the rest of his life, having made the move from Southern California in November of 2012.

"I really have wanted to get out of Southern California for a long time. It was a long time coming. It wasn't time, but finally it was time," said Marinovich. "If you had told me when I was coming out of college that it would take me into my 40s to get out, I would have said 'no way,' I'd be long gone. But life has a funny way of throwing a wrench in any kind of plan you may have in a very humbling manner."

Now married to his wife, Alexandria, and with two children; a son, Baron, and a daughter, Coski; Marinovich knew it was time to move to a place more in tune with where he is in his life and with his art.

"A friend of mine is from the Central Oregon area and he's been trying to get me up here for years," Marinovich said. "Our move up here wasn't a strategic business-related move at all. And the more we're finding out about the community, it's just super cool, and I want to be a part of community like that. It's so new, because where I come from, it's such a different world. It really felt good as a next chapter so to speak, a new start."

Marinovich's main medium is oil paint, but he is also a talented sculptor.

"I really love to sculpt, but it's just a different type of medium, you can't just bang them out," Marinovich said. "I was out at Black Butte (Ranch) to see the sculpture of Chester Armstrong; I'd never seen a sculpture of such a large scale. I'm amazed at some of the size and detail in it, and it's just baffling to me. I picked up sculpting from my dad. He worked with redwoods, and in the '60s he was doing it and kind of passed it on to me."

Marinovich had continued struggles with his addictions and relapsed in 2009. But in 2011, ESPN released a documentary film, "The Marinovich Project," which detailed Marinovich's story from the early training, his pro career, later failed attempts at career comebacks, and then his rehabilitation and new career as an artist.

"The film/documentary changed everything," said Marinovich. "We maybe sold 10 prints the first year, but after the film aired it changed everything, we got hundreds of orders and after four years I'm able to do this full-time."

Being a father and a working artist. Marinovich finds challenges in creating art in his home studio.

"I try to stay pretty consistent with the work schedule, but with the kids it's subject to change, but I like to get out here as much as possible. Some days it's two hours, some days it's 10, just whatever I can get."

After nearly five months as residents of Sisters, Marinovich is starting to find his way in the community and what it has to offer him and his family.

"I flourish in an outdoor environment; but the city? Concrete town is for the birds, man. Life is too short, I got caught up, there were years I was disillusioned by the whole scene. It's just not for me," Marinovich said. "I was self-medicating for a very long time because - and there were a lot of variables - but, like, I couldn't be me and be free and live life, and I don't know if it makes sense, but I'm just very grateful that I had the opportunity to make a move because a lot of people never leave their hometowns...

"I'm also just finding out about the Americana Project here which is really cool, really cool work. Even though I'm in my 40s I can really remember what it felt like to be a teenager and to be wanting to express myself, and I thank God I found art; art and athletics, without it we wouldn't be having this conversation, it saved me."

Marinovich doesn't spend a lot of time thinking about where the inspiration comes from when working on a project, or how long it may take to get done. When asked about the time it took to complete a particular painting, his first painting of a horse head, his response was thought-provoking.

"A lifetime," Marinovich said. "But it's really hard to say how long a piece takes. Time on a piece isn't necessarily the key component of me putting myself into it. There have been magical pieces that have happened instantly, and I just get out of my way and I know it immediately and those are really special.

"When I found color, and a friend really opened my eyes to abstraction and color, I was forever in love with the whole exploration of it. To me I had little tastes of it over the years, but I was always caught in a charcoal-and-pencil world when it came to art and it got dreary. But it wasn't until five to six years ago I met Bob Abbot and he just blew me away and he was just so encouraging, that you could do no wrong, and you can't, so I just went with it and didn't look back."

For information on the work of Todd Marinovich, visit www.toddmarinovich.com.