Screenshot from video below by Daniel Florian
Ryan Brinkmann, a man well known to the local skateboarding community, passed away unexpectedly last January. He was only 25 years old, and his death sent shockwaves all across the local skating world, where Brinkmann was a constant fixture. Benefit shows and other fundraisers were thrown to help defray the costs of funeral services, and a plan was put into place to build a skatepark that would carry Brinkmann's name (GoFundMe here, for those who'd like to donate).
But meanwhile, this year, Brinkmann has been memorialized in a different way: with a giant mural of his face overlooking the skatepark housed inside the old St. Liborius church known in most circles as "Sk8 Liborius."
The mural was painted by Mitch Bierer, a local artist who had expressed an interest in doing some artwork inside the church, which has graffiti throughout. According to Bryan Bedwell, another constant fixture of the skateboarding scene who has been heavily involved in the construction of the unique park, the group that runs the church decided to let him do it — as long as he painted Brinkmann.
"Yeah my girlfriend knew him through art shit and he asked if he could paint a mural," Bedwell says. "We suggested Brinkmann and he asked us for some photos, then came through over like four days and killed it."
Now Bierer has uploaded a video of his process, shot by cinematographer Daniel Florian and complete with music and skateboarding, naturally. The video is hypnotizing to watch, and a fascinating look at what it takes to create some truly unique art.
It's also a fitting tribute to a man missed by many at the one-year anniversary of his untimely death. RIP Ryan Brinkmann.
Watch the video below:
