Rahmaan Hameed’s dream job was to paint a mural for the Marvel star
Rahmaan Hameed was scrolling through Instagram when he saw a post from Canadian actor Simu Liu on New Year’s Day. He was at a professional basketball game with the New Taipei Kings.
The artist from Edmonton is a big fan of Liu, who was the first Asian superhero to star in a Marvel movie.Shang-Chi and the Story of the Ten Ringsand he says he is a big fan of Marvel.
He is also not afraid to get people interested in the bright, modern paintings and murals he makes. Hameed wrote in a comment on Liu’s post, “Gotta get you some art this year, bro.”
Apparently Liu agreed.
“He sent me a message in the morning, and I thought, ‘This can’t be real.'” Hameed said to CBC,Edmonton AM.”There’s no way this is going to happen.”
This month, Liu will be in Edmonton to host the Juno Awards. He was looking for a custom mural for his home gym in Los Angeles.
Before deciding on the design, the two sent each other messages about their ideas: a picture that looks like an anime of Liu’s Shang-Chi persona, withDragon Ball Z‘s Goku on one side Kobe Bryant is a great basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Hameed said, “The whole idea was pretty much based on anime and superheroes, and he’s a big basketball fan.”
Hameed flew to Los Angeles on February 20 to put up the mural, which presented a new set of challenges.
Usually, a piece of this size and level of detail would take Hameed up to two weeks to finish, but he did it in just three days.
“I was a bit worried. Like, this is one of my biggest clients so far, “he said.
“I’m not painting on a canvas; I’m painting his house, so I can’t make any mistakes.”
Listen here |When Canadian actor Simu Liu asked Edmonton artist Rahmaan Hameed to paint a mural for him, it was like his dream come true.
Hameed has been painting and drawing all his life, but he only started to do it professionally in 2015.
Since then, his client list has grown to include NBA and NHL athletes, actors, and people with a lot of influence. After Hameed drew attention to himself on their social media feeds, a lot of people became customers, like Liu.
His work can also be seen around Edmonton in places like the Seoul Fried Chicken restaurant in Old Strathcona, Kingsway Mall, and — much to Hameed’s delight — J. Percy Page High School, where he used to be a student.
“They asked me to make three large murals for their math, social studies, and language arts departments,” he said.
He said that when his high school became his first big art job, it was like coming full circle.
“The long journey and hard work are worth it when these projects come your way and your work is out in the public.”