Talk about posterized
Local artist Jamond Bullock paints mural of Grizzlies guard Ja Morant.
Jamond Bullock saw a random name start liking photos on his Instagram page. He thought it was another fan until Panini America's account followed him.
The company pitched him on a private art project. Bullock wasn't sure because of how vague it sounded.
“I didn't initially think it would be a mural. I thought it might've been like a commercial or something,” Bullock recalled.
It was, in fact, a mural and soon Bullock realized he'd be handling another tribute to Ja Morant and the excitement he's brought to the Grizzlies and Memphis.
The 30-foot-mural is displayed the side of Slim & Husky's Pizza Beeria, which opened earlier this month on Union Ave. It's a shot of Morant in action with an array of colors behind him.
Bullock spent seven days working on it before it was unveiled Dec. 21. He even bought a snow suit to help handle temperatures dipping below 40 degrees.
But as a fan of Morant's game, he enjoyed working through the cold.
“It's like going to the playground for me. You know, with Ja doing a slam dunk, this is like me doing an alley-oop on the wall,” Bullock said.
Jason Howarth, vice president of
marketing at Panini America, said the company wanted to find a local artist to spotlight Morant. In Bullock, Howarth found someone who helped bring the card to life.
“Our color blast card is one of the more prominent cards that people really get excited about,” Hayworth said. “That card is iconic for Ja Morant's rookie season.”
It also helped that the color scheme matched palettes that Bullock has used for years designing murals and other works under the name “Alivepaint.” After Howarth and
Bullock exchanged calls, Bullock helped scout out possible locations for the mural.
He didn't have to look far. Slim & Husky's co-owner Clint Gray already reached out to him about commissioning work inside the restaurant and curating shows for their second floor gallery.
As they talked, Bullock said he was looking for a place to paint the mural. Gray suggested his building because why not feature one of the NBA'S brightest stars? It made even more sense with Slim & Husky's a mile away from Fedexforum.
Morant, now sidelined 3-5 weeks with an ankle injury, saw the mural when it was unveiled. The guard already has a giraffe named after him at the Memphis Zoo and he was in awe seeing another sign of love.
“It's emotional. I'm thankful and grateful for it all,” he said last week, “Can't just say nothing besides I'm blessed that as much as Memphis loves me, I love Memphis,”
Bullock said Morant complimented him on the details, even down to his tattoos. He felt it was mission accomplished for what he hoped to do.
He also was glad because in Morant, he sees somebody who embodies the best qualities of Memphis.
“To see someone that was considered the underdog to become the top dog, it's a real thing. I believe he brings hope to a city like Memphis and brings hope to the underdog city,” Bullock said.