In late April, I had the pleasure of painting a 60 foot mural for Pabst Blue Ribbon on the side of The Local in Atlanta. I had a few talented assistants and I couldn’t have done it without them—Kyle Brooks, Maria Brooks, and Toby Huss. I also couldn’t have done it without the help of Luis Sandoval at PBR.
My initial sketch featured a character inspired by Kyle that looked more like a soldier riding a phoenix. I eventually swapped him out for a figure inspired by an old PBR mascot named Cool Blue. He’s throwing the “A TOWN DOWN” hand signal while riding a giant turkey phoenix rising above the flames carrying a flag for the beer and bar, because duh. Following the Battle of Atlanta, the city’s symbol is the phoenix rising from the ashes since the city has burned and been rebuilt twice.
This turkey phoenix in particular loves PBR and has the strength of Popeye, but he may never taste that sweet nectar. Sad! I painted the snowy landscape with evergreens to give the eyes a visual rest on both sides of our heroes. I hope all the locals at The Local enjoy this mural.
Video by Jason Travis & Troy Stains / Edited by Jason Travis / Music by Jason Travis
Photos by Jason Travis, Troy Stains, Kyle Brooks, Luis Sandoval, Monica Campana