This is a cool story…
According to the artist, jeks, “This year I painted over an old Leon Russell mural that I painted a long time ago with a new Leon Russell mural in Tulsa, OK and it almost caused a riot. This is the new one. Riot averted.”
This was the original Leon wall art:
It seemed as if every single Leon fan thought the previous mural was being destroyed, and immediately began to text, email, and call in protest. It turned out that the original artist was merely updating it…WHEW!
I’m not sure that anyone else has been able to capture his beauty and expressive eyes as masterfully as Brian Lewis (jeks) has done.
Here’s the newly painted version. Check out Leon’s EYES.
If I’m ever lucky enough to get to Tulsa, I’m going to visit the Blue Dome District to see this mural in person. It’s so realistic, as if Leon could pop out of the brick at any time.
What’s a more perfect place for a Master of Space and Time mural than on 3rd Street? This area is home to the Church Studio, a music studio turned museum purchased by Leon Russell in the 1970s, where you can explore iconic memorabilia from his life and walk in the shoes of so many famous artists that walked through the doors.
Jeks is a North Carolina graffiti artist and muralist. https://jeksone.com/
