BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Joe Burrow doesn’t quite look like himself - yet - but it doesn’t matter.
Drivers along Government Street know who he is, and they’re even slowing their vehicles to get a look at the emerging mural highlighting LSU’s Heisman Trophy hopeful on the side of Lemoine’s Mid-City Daiquiri.
The bar is set to open at 5170 Government St. on Dec. 20, which is artist Ken Lemoine’s goal for the mural’s completion.
Lemoine also co-owns the bar with his mother, Barbara Leclercq, who gave him free reign on its interior and exterior design. After the LSU Tigers beat Texas A&M Saturday to complete an undefeated regular season, Lemoine knew it was time to start working on the mural.
He’s collaborating with fellow artist Korey Scavona, who has experience making murals with spray paint. Lemoine came up with design, sketched it out and projected the Burrow portion of the picture onto the building Monday night.
The two artists traced it onto the building, then Burrow began emerging, hands up, fingers signaling double “Ls.”
“We wanted to be the first artists in Baton Rouge to paint a Joe Burrow mural,” Lemoine said. “My mom wanted to paint the building red, but I had this idea, and I knew this part of the wall is so visible on Government Street. She said do it.”
Burrow will anchor the mural with Coach Ed Orgeron standing behind him.
“We’re going to put the Heisman trophy above him, because we just know he’s going to win it,” Lemoine said.
The mural also will feature LSU’s Memorial Tower and the Mississippi River Bridge. Anchoring the piece on the opposite end will be New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees.
Lemoine also is thinking about incorporating a “win bar” over the side entrance door near the center of the mural, echoing the section of the goal post above the LSU football team’s entryway into Tiger Stadium. The “win bar” is part of the H-shaped goal post that stood in Tiger Stadium from 1955 to 1984, and team members traditionally touch it before running onto the field before each home game.
“Everyone can jump up and touch our win bar before walking in,” Lemoine said.
As of Thursday (Dec. 5), Burrow’s face was still a work in progress. Scavona painted it several times but keeps wiping it away.
“He’s not satisfied yet,” Lemoine said. “There’s a picture of Joe Burrow looking out at the crowd after the Alabama game. His face is serious, and his mouth is in a line. That’s the expression we’re trying to capture.”
The artists usually work on the piece nightly between 6:30 and 11.
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