Artist Chris Carlson lives in Denver. He’s a Nuggets fan. He may not have been the most obvious choice to paint a mural in Los Angeles based on a Lakers legend.
“My relationship with the Lakers is complicated,” Carlson told the Times in an email interview. “Being from Denver and growing up a Nuggets fan, I watched the Lakers knock us out of the playoffs every season over the [Carmelo Anthony] years.”
Carlson is a big admirer of Kobe Bryant, however, so he jumped at the chance to paint a Nike-commissioned mural featuring Bryant and his Black Mamba persona next to the Venice Beach basketball courts.
“I’m definitely a Kobe fan!” » Carlson wrote. “His skills were second to none and his work ethic was inspiring. Many of his philosophies about working to become a better athlete can be applied to becoming a better artist. Things like embracing discomfort and pushing past your perceived limits really resonated with me.
Learn more: Want to visit the Kobe Bryant murals? Here are 24 in Los Angeles and 8 in Orange County
Carlson and Indiana-based artist Nate Baranowski completed the larger-than-life mural this month. It shows Bryant with a fierce scowl on his face. A giant snake appears to pierce the painting and coil around Bryant, their heads ending up side by side. The top features Nike’s Swoosh logo and the slogan: “It’s not the year of the snake.” It’s the year of the Mamba.
Mike Asner, who runs the site KobeMural.com, posted a video of the mural on the site’s Instagram page this week and the post blew up, garnering 2 million views and 187,000 likes in three days.
“It’s not normal,” said Asner, who estimates that a typical post featuring a Bryant mural gets between 150,000 and 300,000 views and between 10,000 and 15,000 likes.
Learn more: Vanessa Bryant announces wall book about Kobe and Gianna just before the fifth anniversary of the helicopter crash
Asner said he thought people were drawn to the “realism and 3D nature” of the mural.
“People went crazy over this one,” Asner said. “I’ve never seen people go so crazy over a mural.”
Here are more excerpts from the Times interview with Carlson. The questions and answers have been edited for length and clarity.
How was this project born?
Nike contacted me to create this mural in Venice Beach. They had the idea to incorporate 3D illusion and trompe l’oeil effects into a Kobe mural they were planning, and since optical illusion murals are my specialty, they gave me contacted. I loved their concept and was thrilled when they selected me for the project.
Learn more: The video shows the rarely seen side of Kobe Bryant and evokes special memories from those who knew him
What inspired the design?
The design started with the black mamba (the snake). I wanted the snake to surround Kobe’s portrait in a way that would show that the two are linked and connected forever. Having the mamba running through the wall helps create a feeling of intensity and power that I really wanted to capture in the mural. It’s like Kobe and the mamba challenged us to be the best versions of ourselves. The architectural elements in the corners are the Kobe logo. I think they help draw the viewers eye to the middle of the mural.
How did people react while you were working on it?
The reactions from people on the courts as we painted were incredible! As soon as people saw that it was a Kobe mural, excitement began to build. This was one of my favorite painting experiences because of all the encouragement we received from the audience while we painted.
How does this project differ from your usual work?
This is my largest mural to date, which brings with it different challenges. But it also allows the artwork to have a greater visual impact. I don’t usually paint in such a famous place either. It was an honor to paint a mural of an iconic person like Kobe Bryant in an iconic location like the Venice Beach basketball courts.
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This story was originally published in the Los Angeles Times.