‘Thank you Kobe’: Fernandez paints tribute to NBA star
T-R PHOTOS BY JOE FISHER — Cesar Ibarra and Benny Fernandez apply some finishing touches to their Kobe Bryant mural on Tuesday morning.
Benny Fernandez, 35, of Marshalltown, points out some of the detail he added to Kobe Bryant and the Staples Center as he nears finishing his mural on Wednesday.
Benny Fernandez paints a mural in tribute to Kobe and Gianna Bryant on the graffiti wall at the skatepark on Tuesday.
T-R PHOTOS BY JOE FISHER — Cesar Ibarra and Benny Fernandez apply some finishing touches to their Kobe Bryant mural on Tuesday morning.
Benny Fernandez, 35, of Marshalltown, points out some of the detail he added to Kobe Bryant and the Staples Center as he nears finishing his mural on Wednesday.
Benny Fernandez paints a mural in tribute to Kobe and Gianna Bryant on the graffiti wall at the skatepark on Tuesday.
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The late Kobe Bryant had an approach to life known as the "Mamba Mentality" -- an undeniable will which pushed him to achieve any task set before him through hard work and determination.
Maybe Benny Fernandez and his nephew Cesar Ibarra tapped into the Mamba Mentality in braving the cold to create a tribute to the NBA legend.
To mark one year since the deaths of Kobe and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna "Gigi" Bryant, Fernandez designed a mural celebrating their lives. Kobe and Gianna were killed in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020.
While members of the sports world shared stories of Bryant on the anniversary of his death, Fernandez and his nephew painted the graffiti wall at the Marshalltown Skatepark, near the South Sixth Street Softball Complex, in his honor.
"I did it for the city so they could see we've got some love for Kobe," Fernandez said.
Light sleet fell on Fernandez and Ibarra Tuesday as they put the finishing touches on their masterpiece. They alternate between painting and warming up in the car to power through the harsh conditions.
Fernandez did not want to create a piece of art in the tone of "Rest in Peace." Instead, his goal was to create something focusing on Bryant's legacy and achievements.
The wall is emblazoned in purple and gold -- the colors of Bryant's team, the Los Angeles Lakers, where he spent the entirety of his 20-year NBA career. It is filled with Bryant's likeness soaring for a dunk, his jersey number "24," the Lakers logo and silhouettes of him and Gigi. The silhouettes are accented with the back of their jerseys and topped with halos.
Fernandez added a Larry O'Brien NBA Championship trophy commemorating the Lakers 2020 championship.
"I'm sure they put a lot of hard work in to win that for Kobe," he said.
To make painting work in the cold, Fernandez measured the graffiti wall and created stencils at home. He often created the stencils overnight, sometimes staying up until 5 a.m. He picks Ibarra up in the morning to start painting before going to his full-time job as a window installer in Grinnell later in the day.
After Fernandez puts the designs on the wall, he and Ibarra start filling them in.
"Fighting the weather is the most hard thing. You're trying to work but the cold weather doesn't let you," he said.
Fernandez was an avid artist during his years as a student at Marshalltown High School. He credits his art teachers – Julie Bousum specifically – for helping him tap into his talent.
After high school he's shifted his focus to work but putting a paintbrush back in his hand for this project has reminded him how much he loves creating art.
"I did some painting here and there but not really something big like this," he said. "You see your art teachers around town and they ask you if you're still doing art because they recognize that you were good. A lot of the time I tell them no because it's not how you pay the bills but you still enjoy it when you do it."
"This was a really nice thing to get back into art," he added.
The encouragement Fernandez and Ibarra have received from people passing by and on social media has helped keep them going. They will hear people honking their horns, shouting positive words and even offering to buy them lunch for their efforts.
"It just gives you motivation to do a better job," Fernandez said. "Also my girlfriend's support. The support of my family. The police station also shared it on Facebook. It's not so often you get so many likes and comments. A lot of my family is proud of me and I just did it for fun."
Contact Joe Fisher at 641-753-6611 or jfisher@timesrepublican.com