North Carolina

Wake Forest student Kyan Patel builds business by painting portraits of North Carolina's biggest athletes :: WRALSportsFan.com

Published

2 years ago

February 5, 2024

By Pat Welter

“It’s very simple, I’ll draw it out first, kind of get a rough sketch of what it looks like,” Kyan Patel said from a Wake Forest University art studio. “I’ll start from the head and go down and work on every little detail.”

The detail he’s working on right now is getting the color burnt orange correct on a portrait of new Texas receiver Isaiah Bond who transferred from Alabama. Bond is one of many college and pro athletes who have been the subject of a Patel portrait.

“It’s always kind of hard the first time you’re using a specific color the school is known for,” Patel said as he mixed some orange next to his canvas.

Patel is a freshman art and economics major at Wake Forest. He’s on scholarship thanks to his art, a talent that runs in the family.

“My mom was an artist, my grandparents are artists, my mom went to art school in New York,” Patel said. “I kind of always just thought of it as a hobby and a passion that I was naturally good at. When I got to high school I started seeing it as a way to form new opportunities.”

One of those opportunities arose when he helped out his high school friend Andre Greene plan his commitment. Greene was a four star wide receiver prospect with offers from schools like Clemson, Georgia and Oregon. He chose UNC, and a painting by Patel of Greene in a UNC jersey helped him reveal it.

“It was on national news, a lot of attention was brought to it the days after,” Patel said. “That’s kind of where it all blew up from there.”

It didn’t take long for UNC head coach Mack Brown to get word of the creative commitment. He was at St. Christopher’s School three days later. The football coach introduced Patel to Brown. Patel ended up painting a portrait of Brown next.

“He invited me down to North Carolina, took me on a tour of the football stadium… facilities everything like that. So he was super cool, super nice guy,” Patel said. “From there I started to realize I was doing something different. I started doing research and realized there’s not many artists who are painting athletes.”

Patel started direct messaging and emailing hundreds of athletes. Next he painted Clemson running back Will Shipley, then former UNC receiver Josh Downs.

“They would put it on their social media, I would put it on mine,” Patel said. “My social media grew, I got a lot more attention and a lot more athletes started reaching out to me wanting pieces.”

The first dozen or so were free, but now Patel’s work is commissioned by the athlete. He hopes to continue growing the business to a point where he could make two paintings for each athlete, one to keep and one for them to sell and profit legally via NIL.

“Really trying to take advantage of NIL in a way that the athlete is getting paid and I’m also getting paid if we are to sell a piece of the athlete to some college, university or fan,” Patel said.

Social media offered Patel his big break, but make no mistake a lot of time and sacrifice goes into his craft.

“I’m in the studio everyday four hours, I’m always here, you have to be committed, you have to be constantly working,” Patel said.

He’s done portraits for about fifty athletes and counting including UNC’s RJ Davis and Armando Bacot, Duke’s Jeremy Roach and Tyrese Proctor, even NFL receiver Deandre Hopkins. His portfolio is on his website Kyanpatel.com and on his Instagram @Kyanpatel.

“It’s just really cool being able to work with these people I’ve watched my whole life,” Patel said. “Be able to work with, meet them, talk with them. It’s been definitely a really cool experience.”

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North Carolina

These 4 Western NC towns are among WorldAtlas favorites for 2026

Published

11 minutes ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

These 4 Western NC towns are among WorldAtlas favorites for 2026

A new list from WorldAtlas named the publication’s top 10 favorite North Carolina towns of 2026, including several locations located in Western North Carolina.

Founded in 1994 by cartographer John Moen and his wife, Chris Woolwine-Moen, WorldAtlas publishes educational materials and articles on geography, sociology, demography, environment, economics, politics, and travel.

Previous Citizen Times articles have covered numerous mentions of Western North Carolina from WorldAtlas, including “idyllic” and “unpretentious” towns, scenic drives, a favorite downtown area, and more. In the new list, published March 9, WorldAtlas writers chose their all-time favorite North Carolina towns ― almost half of which were located in the western region of the state.

Here’s what WorldAtlas had to say about mountain North Carolina towns, plus the full list and more.

What to do in Banner Elk, N.C.

WorldAtlas noted the range of activities offered in Banner Elk throughout the year. The town sits in the Blue Ridge Mountains between the Sugar Mountain and Beech Mountain ski resorts. Writers highlighted the following locations and activities in Banner Elk:

Wildcat Lake, which has a lifeguarded white-sand beach and is used for swimming, non-motorized boating and fishing for largemouth bass, trout, and bluegill
Grandfather Mountain Nature Museum, a museum located at Grandfather Mountain
The Mile High Swinging Bridge, the highest suspension footbridge in the United States, which visitors can cross on foot

What to do in Blowing Rock, N.C.

Also included on the WorldAtlas list, Blowing Rock takes its name from a rock formation where the wind appears to blow upward. The list highlighted the following locations and activities in Blowing Rock:

The town’s namesake, “Blowing Rock,” is a rock formation known for views of Johns River Gorge and the surrounding forest
Fishing, spelunking and rock climbing opportunities in the area
Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, also known locally as “Cone Park,” which has hiking trails and is located on the Blue Ridge Parkway
Memorial Park on Main Street, where town events and concerts often take place

What to do in Brevard, N.C.

Brevard, also known as the “Land of Waterfalls,” is home to more than 200 waterfalls located across Transylvania County. WorldAtlas highlighted the following locations and activities in Brevard:

Museums, trails, rock climbing and the surrounding area’s many waterfalls
Guided Jeep and hiking tours to view waterfalls throughout Transylvania County
Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas, a museum displaying artifacts from U.S. military conflicts
Transylvania Heritage Museum, a museum focused on local history and genealogy

What to do in Hot Springs, N.C.

Hot Springs’ name comes from the natural springs that attract visitors from across the state and region. The springs are commonly visited by hikers seeking relief after traveling along the Appalachian Trail, which runs through the town. WorldAtlas highlighted the following activities and events:

Kayaking on the French Broad River
Trailfest, a celebration of hiking typically held in April
French Broad River Festival, a celebration of the French Broad River held each year on the first weekend of May
White-water rafting and ziplining opportunities in the area
Fishing, skiing, sport shooting, golf, disc golf, biking and horseback riding opportunities throughout the area
A range of accommodations including campgrounds, privately owned cabins, apartments, suites and cottages, with options from basic to luxury experiences

WorldAtlas’s best towns in North Carolina

The full list of WorldAtlas’s favorite North Carolina towns of 2026 included:

Banner Elk
Beaufort
Blowing Rock
Brevard
Davidson
Edenton
Hot Springs
Seagrove
Manteo
Wrightsville Beach

Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.

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North Carolina

‘It was dire’: NC State professor returns from Qatar after being trapped during Iran war

Published

12 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

‘It was dire’: NC State professor returns from Qatar after being trapped during Iran war

An North Carolina State University professor is back home Monday night after he was trapped in the Middle East as war with Iran broke out.

Rich Spontak was stuck in Qatar while traveling from Bangkok to Spain and was forced to stay in the country for about a week. Several travelers were trapped for days in the Middle East after Iran’s
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several defense leaders were
killed in joint strikes by the United States and Israel.

Spontak, like many travelers, found himself stranded in the Middle East after the initial attacks, which quickly entangled more surrounding countries, including Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, where seven U.S. service members were killed in retaliatory attacks from Iran.

Spontak said there were times he thought he wouldn’t make it out.

“I would just keep looking out and looking for the missiles,” Spontak said. “Some people that I met along the way were hit by shrapnel from the missles. It was dire.”

Airspace over Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait and Syria remained closed, according to flight-tracking service Flightradar24. Azerbaijan also shut the southern sector of its airspace on Thursday after accusing Iran of a drone attack that injured four civilians and damaged an airport building.

Lilia Austin, a Chapel Hill woman who was part of a group of 100 women who went to Israel for a trip the day before Khamenei was killed, also returned home on Sunday after she left Israel through Egypt.

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North Carolina

Gov. Stein proposes $1.4B ‘critical needs’ budget for North Carolina

Published

1 day ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Gov. Stein proposes .4B ‘critical needs’ budget for North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. (WLOS) — With North Carolina still without a new state budget, Gov. Josh Stein is urging state lawmakers to approve a $1.4 billion “Critical Needs Budget.” Stein says this budget will address the state’s most urgent priorities while the General Assembly works on a full spending plan.

“North Carolina has gone nearly two and a half years without passing a new state budget – the only state in the country to finish 2025 without one[…]This budget invests in critical public safety, education and health care services for the people of North Carolina that cannot wait,” Gov. Stein said in a press release Monday.

A major part of Stein’s proposal is $319 million to fully fund Medicaid, which provides health coverage to over three million North Carolinians. This program also supports rural hospitals, nursing homes and statewide health care providers, per the release.

JUDGE ORDERS FEMA TO REINSTATE $200M STORM RELIEF PROGRAM, ATTORNEY GENERAL SAYS

The “Critical Needs Budget” would target public safety staffing and pay. According to the governor’s office, North Carolina currently ranks 49th in starting salaries for state troopers and correctional officers, and low pay has contributed to staffing shortages and vacancy rates. This budget would bring pay raises to correctional officers, law enforcement officers, probation and parole officers and more.

Stein’s proposed budget calls for raising starting and average teacher pay, as well as increasing pay for senior teachers and other education staff. The governor’s office said the state remains in the bottom 10 nationally in average teacher pay.

The budget proposal also includes pay increases for state employees and a cost-of-living adjustment for retired state employees, citing rising inflation costs and increasing health care premiums. Stein’s plan also includes targeted funding to maintain essential services, such as support for child care access and affordability.

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