Viral Charlie Kirk portrait earns praise, death threats for faith-driven artist

A Mississippi artist with 1 million followers recently went viral for his portrait of Charlie Kirk — a piece that was prominently displayed during Kirk’s massive memorial event that was viewed by millions.

Samuel Ingram, known on social media as Sam Ryan, drew a picture of Kirk with his hands pressed together in front of his face. The artist behind Sam Ryan Studios, Ryan’s image suggests prayer or meditation.

Kirk’s expression in the painting is serious and contemplative, and Ryan has incorporated prominent red, black, white and blue colors, evoking patriotic themes.

Speaking to Fox News Digital on Sunday — two days before Kirk’s 32nd birthday — Ryan said he personally spoke with Kirk last year.

Erica Kirk, Head of Memorial Service, Inspires Christian Staff to Stay ‘Rooted in the Faith’

At the time, Ryan’s painting depicting president Donald Trump after his assassination attempt on July 13, 2024, went viral. The founder of Turning Point USA contacted him shortly after seeing the Trump painting and expressed interest in purchasing a print.

“The DM said to me, ‘I love it, man. I need to get this for the studio. When are you going to print it?'” Ryan recalls. “And that was the last thing I heard from him.”

In the wake of Kirk’s Sept. 10 assassination at Utah Valley University, Ryan felt compelled to memorialize him.

Charlie Kirk delivered a message about the ups and downs of life to restaurant leaders hours before he was shot dead

“I wanted to do him a favor,” he said. “The best way I can do that is to commemorate him for everyone to see and add to his legacy, especially with the reference photo I used from Dan Flewitt of Charlie praying.”

“I felt like this was the perfect reference for him.”

Mississippi artist Sam Ryan went viral after he painted a portrait of Charlie Kirk, based on a photo that captured the Turning Point USA founder in a moment of contemplation and prayer. (@sam_ryan_studio via Instagram; inspired by a photo by Dan Flewitt)

Ryan said he painted the picture in 12 hours overnight. He shared it with the world at 8 a.m. on September 11 after a sleepless night.

“It was a way for me to show my respect for him and his family, and to show it for him,” Ryan said.

A customer orders a Starbucks drink for Charlie Kirk and finds a disturbing hate message

The honor was not without reaction. The artist said he lost 44,000 followers on Instagram, and collectively, more than 100,000 social media users unfollowed him across all his platforms, including Facebook and TikTok.

Ryan said that even more than a month after Kirk’s death, he is still receiving death threats on Instagram.

Sam Ryan said his tribute to Charlie Kirk was created overnight and was shared the morning after Kirk died to honor the legacy of the conservative icon. (@sam_ryan_studio via Instagram; inspired by a photo by Dan Flewitt)

“All for the sake of painting someone I had a personal connection with,” Ryan said. “It wasn’t really a political statement, even though I’m conservative.”

“It was about personal feelings for his family and something God gave me the ability to do – to paint and paint portraits in the style that I do that somehow attracts attention.”

Charlie Kirk’s supporters are calling on Starbucks to memorialize him with his drink order

But fortunately, support outweighed the hate, and Ryan’s work attracted more than a million conservatives and like-minded Christians.

“I’ve gained over a million followers across all my platforms…I think a few hundred thousand per platform,” he said.

After sharing his photo of Charlie Kirk, artist Sam Ryan said he lost more than 100,000 followers on social media. (@sam_ryan_studio via Instagram; inspired by a photo by Dan Flewitt)

Ryan also traveled all the way from Mississippi to Arizona to attend Kirk’s memorial service on September 21. He described the experience as bittersweet — a milestone in his career, but one under tragic circumstances.

For Ryan, Kirk’s death evokes the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, a reflection, he said, of how those who tell the truth often face persecution.

Click here for more lifestyle stories

“A lot of times, people don’t want to hear the truth, they want to feel comfortable,” he said. “I think he shocked a lot of demons hiding in the world over there, and they took him out because of that.”

“Jesus, it only took twelve [disciples] To spread the message – and Charlie had more than a dozen people to spread the message. When you get all those eyes on you, there are a lot of crazy people in the audience who hate you for spreading the gospel message.”

“Anything that makes people feel something is what inspires me, and I hope to spread goodness in the world and prevent evil.”

The faith-driven painter said he hoped those who unfollowed him could see that Kirk was “a human being, and he didn’t deserve this.”

“Because, from what I know, he never said anything hateful or racist, like you were watching all these clips,” he said. “He never said anything completely wrong.”

Click here to subscribe to our lifestyle newsletter

“I would just tell them he was a human being too,” Ryan added. “And I have a heart, which is something a lot of people don’t have. They can’t get over their feelings about the political aspects.”

The plaque will be put up at Turning Point USA’s headquarters, Ryan said. Due to the great interest in the painting, he will be selling a small, personally signed print from October 17-19 on samryanstudio.com.

A portrait of Charlie Kirk, painted by Sam Ryan, was displayed during a widely viewed memorial honoring the life and faith of the founder of Turning Point USA. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images; inspired by photo by Dan Flewitt)

“About 20 thousand people [are] “On a waiting list so far, we will have a limited number of limited edition prints. So it will be a first-come, first-served basis,” he said.

Ultimately, guided by faith, Ryan hopes his work will transform others toward faith and goodness.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Anything that makes people feel something is what inspires me, and I hope to spread goodness in the world and prevent evil,” he said.