Artists Paint Two-Story Mural Of Former Blazers G Clyde Drexler In SE Portland

Artists Mark Paul Deren, also known as Madsteez, and Enrico Isamu Oyama are in the process of producing a massive two-story mural of former Portland Trail Blazers guard Clyde Drexler on the side of the building that houses Helium Comedy Club and Clever Cycles on SE 9th Avenue between Clay and Hawthorne.

Drexler is depicted wearing a black jersey with the ball cocked back behind his head in preparation for a dunk.

Here are some shots of the mural coming together via Deren's Instagram page.

Here's more information on Deren via madsteez.com.

After being born blind in his left eye and given 3hree first names (Mark Paul Deren) MADSTEEZ is a multi-faceted artist/designer based in WEENSV!LLE, CA. Growing up on the outskirts of Washington DC, surrounded by nicknames and the oh so frequent game of biscuit, his HEYD!K sense of humor emerged. As an artist, MADSTEEZ is known for his vivid, large-scale, multi-layered paintings, where strange and familiar figures are integrated into abstract landscapes. He has held solo exhibitions in New York City, Los Angeles, and Tokyo as well as group showings in London, Germany, Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, Calgary and Art Basel, Miami.

Deren's work was also highlighted by Philip Higgs of The New York Times in 2005.

Much of the artwork created by Mark Paul Deren, a graphic designer based in Costa Mesa, Calif., is the kind that could land him in jail.

Mr. Deren, 25, who goes by the nom de spray can "Madsteez," is known for his effusive graffiti-style posters of a grinning, bulbous head named Mr. Ween and human-animal hybrids that Mr. Deren calls Ween!mals. They are pasted onto Dumpsters, stairwells and billboards in New York, Los Angeles and Seattle.

But growing street cred has brought Mr. Deren the inevitable commercial opportunities. S-Core, a French apparel company, flew him to Barcelona last summer for a guest appearance at a trade show, where he covered a couch in his trademark designs. Next fall, Nike will introduce a line of Madsteez sneakers in a limited run of 1,000 pairs. His custom designs for the Japanese jeans maker Evisu - only 44 pairs made in 2004 - were given by Evisu to what Mr. Deren called "mostly hip-hop peeps," whom he declined to name. ("I think Jay-Z got a pair," he said. "And he's dope.")

Hat tip: Reddit

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter