“The Shot” Celebrates Epic Finish

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Bowman Street artist captures Villanova basketball’s championship moment and helps fund a great cause.

Any Philly sports fan worth their salt has seen “The Shot” repeatedly – Villanova’s Kris Jenkins rising up to nail a buzzer-beating shot to win the 2016 NCAA basketball championship. It’s an epic moment and, in a region that doesn’t see too many championships, it’s only right that local artists have worked to memorialize it.

The Falls is doing its part with “The Shot,” a dense, colorful work of art by Bowman Street’s Drew Montemayor.

The first print in a limited-edition series is earmarked for Villanova head coach Jay Wright and will be presented to him in a ceremony this month. Part of the proceeds from the sales will also help a great cause – Coaches vs. Cancer, a program that empowers coaches and teams to fight cancer though advocacy, awareness, and fundraising.

Drew’s remarkable paintings first caught our attention in 2015, when he shared an original piece featuring the Eagles’ Brian Dawkins, which was eventually auctioned off with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Dawkins’ ALS charity.

While Drew has a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, at heart he is an “ad man” — his commissioned paintings for private collections showcase vibrant illustrations of famous sports moments in media. He achieves unique depth and texture with many layers of oil, acrylic and spray paint. He also adds context and meaning with graphic punches of text. Drew explained:

I like to incorporate type or other layers of events that occurred in that specific moment or in the career of the player I paint to give the viewer something with more depth. Look closely at ‘The Shot’ — there’s lyrics from the opening song Villanova plays at the start of games, quotes from the announcers, a few of the teams mottos and much more.

Also, the scores of each game in the tournament scale Chris Jenkins’s body until you get to the top where the final score is. I wanted to illustrate the journey that lead up to that final winning shot.”

Drew himself has had an interesting journey, starting out as a sports-loving kid with little interest in books. To pique his interest in reading, his mom subscribed him to Sports Illustrated, hoping he’d be tempted by the articles. Instead, Drew was fascinated by the team logos. He’d spend hours drawing them, and the design elements of uniforms.

In 2010, Drew achieved an early dream when the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks — Bethlehem’s arena football team — tapped him to design their logos, signage, press kit, uniform insignias, everything. When his work was ready, the team called their first major press conference, and Drew was “that guy” at the microphone, addressing the media.

Since then, he’s been focusing on local small(ish) businesses and start ups like Seven Mile Sweets, Outward Bound, The Happy Pita Food Truck… and lots of others. As a freelancer, he takes each project through every stage from conceptualizing to illustration to marketing materials and even website development.

BUY ART! FIGHT CANCER! Drew’s vibrant, contemporary prints make a unique, thoughtful gift for sports-lovers and local art fans — plus, Drew makes a donation to Coaches vs Cancer with every sale of “The Shot,” ($85, limited-edition, numbered & signed by the artist).  Free local delivery plus other shipping discounts.

Keep up with Drew on his website TheMayorsArt.com. Thanks for supporting art in East Falls!

MEET DREW:

Fallser since 2011:First in an apartment on the famous slope of lower Calumet St. In 2016, my wife & I bought a home on Bowman.”

Wife, Erica:  “Associate Director of Wharton Leadership Ventures, she leads expeditions with undergrads.”

Osa, the dog:  “She’s our rescue, about 2 years old. We have yet to perform a DNA test on her but believe she is some type of hound possibly mixed with a Catahoula but we change our mind every day.”

Challenge, accepted:  Before Erica started working with college students, she spent five years with Outward Bound, an organization that reaches inner city kids through wilderness skills programs. Last Fall, OB promoted an “Over the Edge” event where participants raised money by rappelling down the Commerce Square skyscraper in Center City.

Long story short: Drew unraveled himself down 29 stories. He was nonchalant about it afterwards, “It went so fast, I only wish I’d taken my time more.”

See more of Drew’s art at Einstein Medical Center Montgomery in East Norriton, PA.

 

 

 

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