Memphis artist uses Grizzlies art to connect community and family

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — As the Memphis Grizzlies continue to dominate the NBA, Memphians are showing their love and support. Lyrikal Jenkins is using art to paint a picture of the Grizzlies’ impact on the community

“I put the head coach on it, which is coach Jenkins and I put the logo,” said Jenkins, Owner of Amazing Creations by Lyrikal.

A basketball isn’t Jenkins’s usual canvas, but she hand-painted one in six days. The art features players like Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., as well as the Grizzlies logo and colors.

“One of my ultimate goals is to receive a partnership agreement in effort to get these custom
balls in the hands of fans,” said Jenkins.

Jenkins sees the art as an ode to the Memphis Grizzlies and their impact in the Grind City.

“People are always like, ‘I hate Memphis, and I want to leave,’ but Memphis made me who I am. There is so much history and life. I love Memphis,” said Jenkins. “I’ve been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember.”

From acrylic paint to colored pencils to oil painting, Jenkins’s art doesn’t just represent where she comes from but who she comes from.

She is working on an oil painting now featuring her mom, late grandma and late great-aunt. Now 15 hours into the family portrait, she said this might be the most special piece yet.

“Even though I never met my great-aunt, it looks so real, so it’s like my way of meeting her. My granny passed away when I was younger. It’s a way to see them for the first time,” said Jenkins. “I’m sure they would be very proud of the young lady I became and am still becoming.”

They have a lot to be proud of. Jenkins is a 22-year-old full-time artist and college student who is one year into renting her own studio. She’s using her art to bring her family to life and her community together.

“I’m able to tell so many stories that I feel haven’t been shared in a way I would want them shared,” said Jenkins.