SYRACUSE, N.Y. — For an artist who has created designs for the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB, you may think a mural honoring a retired college coach may not mean a lot.
And if you did, you’d be dead-wrong about Philadelphia based artist Chris B. Murray.
“I’ve been working for myself for 15 years now, and I’ve worked for every client under the sun. And this one is different. This one feels different. It really tingles the heart strings differently than my other past clients and jobs. It’s amazing,” said Murray.
Chris is putting the final touches on his presentation to the Syracuse Public Art Council who will have the final say on a mural honoring former Syracuse Basketball Head Coach Jim Boeheim. The final mock-up will be presented Tuesday, May 13. If approved, the mural will go up on 215 W. Fayette Street, and be about three stories tall.
It’s a passion project Chris says takes him back to his childhood growing up in upstate New York.
“The things that I grew up loving as a kid were basketball, Syracuse basketball, comic books and art. And to put these together, I mean, it really is. It’s coming full circle. I feel like I’m 14 years old again. I used to go to Boeheim’s basketball camp as a kid. I’d wear all the gear, the shorts, the jerseys, and I feel like that again. So it’s almost like a resurgence of my childhood,” said Murray.
The process of getting the mural on the building on Fayette Street should take about three weeks, weather dependent. It all starts with taking a small image, and making it really, really big.
“It’s essentially a grid to make sure all the linework, all the shapes hit the right spot on the wall. And that’s fun to watch. You know, all the murals I’ve painted in the past. People stop by, they love to ask questions, and then I’ll show them the process. Once the grid gets going, then it’s like I’m sketching on paper, but I’m now sketching on the wall how I would sketch on paper. And it’s just it’s just a fun overall process.”
“I’ve said in the past, murals really do bring communities together, if nothing else, just by watching how it started from nothing to something,” said Murray.
Murray has collaborated with Julie and Jim Boeheim on the final design.
“Julie’s been a pivotal part in this project from the beginning. Jim has been right by her side. I’ll actually be up there next week for Wing Fest, hoping to meet them in person!”
Once the project gets final approval it will be funded completely by private donations.
“This is something that I want to live forever, to spark a conversation, to have, you know, the elder generation tell their kids. He was a legend when he coached and still is a legend. And that’s that’s the great thing about these murals is they live forever, and they tell a story and a narrative. And that’s what I’m hoping to do with this piece,” said Murray.