Jack Perkins is an all-around exceptional artist based in Los Angeles. These days, he’s found a special niche where his passion for basketball and artistic talents intersect. Perkins, better known as @purehoop on social media, enchants his followers with glorious recap-driven illustrations. His creative vision recreates the thrill of Los Angeles Lakers games on the big screen! His artistic journey really started gaining momentum in 2012 when he started releasing his work with purpose. Since then, it has evolved into an amazing cathartic expression of love for the team he worships.
Raised in a family of diehard Boston Celtics fans, Perkins started out with a built-in conflict of interest. As a New Yorker, during the 1980s, he got sucked in by the Lakers. Their legendary NBA Finals battles against the Celtics in 1984, 1985, and 1987 especially hooked him. This rivalry only stoked his passion for the Lakers and informed a bulk of his creative work.
Her dad taught high school art for over forty years. His impact powerfully guided Perkins’ artistic path. Perkins went in his father’s footsteps by enrolling in an art class. He subsequently went to the Rhode Island School of Design, where he majored in animation. Now, he’s lucky enough to work full-time as an animator. He just wrapped working on a series with Bento Box Entertainment, the studio behind the wildly successful animated series Bob’s Burgers.
So he began making comic-strip-style illustrations to sum up each Lakers game. With this new tradition, he’s created a way to capture the tension and electric atmosphere of each matchup. The hand-drawn quality of these visuals creates a vibrant and personal touch that lets fans interact with the game in an exciting new manner.
“The immediacy is just as important as the piece itself,” – Jack Perkins
Perkins’ artistic process started with very short recaps that he could do in an hour’s time. As he undertook this work, he realized that every time he started on a new illustration, he was spending more time and creativity on it.
“I feel like if you look at some of the earlier ones I was just trying to do them in an hour and sort of [a] quick recap,” – Jack Perkins
As he worked, the reactions of the fans to his art pushed him to raise his game with his illustrations. That combination of pageantry and immediacy hooked Lakers fans. In turn it allows them to experience each game of the season vicariously through his often brilliant and poetical prose.
This season is a huge step for Perkins. He’s hoping to produce a mosaic-type grid with at least one illustration from each of all 82 games, to commemorate the whole campaign. This ambitious undertaking is first and foremost an artistic endeavor, designed to give avid fans a beautiful visual record of the 2023 season.
“But yeah, that would be the dream if they take it all and they could all be depicted together as here’s your championship run season,” – Jack Perkins
On-court soap opera Perkins has been captivated by the Lakers’ current drama. With head coach JJ Redick bringing a fresh perspective and the uncertainty surrounding LeBron James’ remaining years in the league, he sees potential for exciting developments ahead.
“With [head coach] JJ [Redick] coming over and the excitement of a new life for the Lakers and also, who knows how many more years LeBron has,” – Jack Perkins
Just like each game he covers, Perkins doesn’t just take motivation from the players but from how the game is changing and growing. Perhaps most interesting is how frequently he compares the game of yesterday to the game of today to note distinctions in players’ shooting form.
“Looking at the replay, obviously their shot style is quite different but there’s just so much similarity with kicking the leg out,” – Jack Perkins
Floyd explores these subtleties within his drawings, drawing parallels and contrasts from one era to another.
“I think there’s definitely going to be something in this illustration that is like you can see the similarity and the difference. And whoever your GOAT is whatever, it’s like you can appreciate both,” – Jack Perkins
Perkins’ path shows the unmatched potential art has as a storytelling tool within sports. His work not only highlights individual games but encapsulates the spirit of the season, inviting fans to engage with their team’s narrative in a fresh way.
Leave a Reply