With the start of the college football season around the bend, Danny Wilson is leaving a lasting impression to fans of four different universities.
Wilson, an Elizabethton native, recently completed the official posters for the upcoming Chick-fil-A Kickoff games being held at the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. An avid football fan, Wilson created the poster for the Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Florida State Seminoles game, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 2, and the University of Tennessee Volunteers vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets game, slated for Monday, Sept. 4.
Delving into the art world is nothing new for the local artist, who saw success last year by creating the official commemorative poster of the inaugural Battle at Bristol game at Bristol Motor Speedway, which saw the Volunteers square off against Virginia Tech.
Wilson told the Elizabethton Star Wednesday he coordinated with Chick-fil-A, who put him in touch with the Peach Bowl, the organizers of the series. After seeing the work from last year’s piece, Wilson added the organizers agreed to use his artwork on programs, tickets and will promote the sale of the posters during the games.
“They were very much into the idea,” Wilson said. “It’s very exciting. After last year, it was great to have the chance to do the posters. Coming from Elizabethton and following UT … I’ve always enjoyed college football.”
Providing art on a national stage was a task that wasn’t taken lightly, the artist explained. With deadlines looming, Wilson created the posters with a stylist on a monitor and added it was a joy using the different resources available for the pieces.
“All four schools have statutes of legendary coaches,” Wilson said. “General (Robert) Neyland at Tennessee, Bear Bryant at Alabama, Bobby Bowden at Florida State and Bobby Dodd at Georgia Tech. It was great to give the posters something similar and highlight the history of each program.”
To promote the upcoming Alabama/FSU game, a hype video was developed online, which included the artwork created by Wilson.
Before both games, Wilson will also be on site from 3 to 7 p.m. before kickoff selling posters.
“The Peach Bowl has been very supportive,” he said. “It’s going to be an exciting time, and I hope to see some folks from home down at that games.”
Individuals can visit shop.dannywilson.com to purchase a commemorative poster. Sizes range from 24’’x36’’ to 8’’x10 ’’, and customers can receive a 10-percent discount by entering the promo code: Kickoff10.
For Wilson, developing a knack for drawing comes naturally. Whether it comes from developing “Tuffy” for Elizabethton High School or work with UT athletics, Wilson added he’s excited to see a renewed surge for the arts locally.
“It’s great to see the community coming together for the arts,” he said.
Wilson added he’s been in contact with Robert Benfield with the Elizabethton Arts and Cultural Alliance and is looking forward to participating in upcoming projects locally.
And after achieving national notoriety for his work, Wilson added local artists can also reach that type of stage.
“It doesn’t matter where you come from, be inspired to follow your dreams,” he said. “There are a lot of talented artists from the area.”