49ers commission ‘Faithful’ mural by Illuminaries

SAN JOSE, Calif. - A new mural in San Jose is paying homage to the Super Bowl-bound 49ers. The piece is called “Faithful to the Bay.” It is located at the corner of South Montgomery and West San Fernando Streets, not far from the Diridon station. The massive mural honoring the 49er Faithful is becoming quite the attraction.

“There’s a lot of really cool mural art in San Jose so almost every time I see a mural I’m like wow who knew,” said Michael Anderson of San Jose.

“San Jose has a pretty loyal 49er fan base,” said David Mun of San Jose. “I wouldn't be surprised if I saw this anywhere around here.”

“No matter what the team has been through, we have stuck by them no matter what,” said Emerson James McIntyre of San Jose.

Kevin Pride is part of a team of artists called the “Illuminaries.” He said the 49ers approached them last November to create the artist’s first-ever mural in San Jose.

“The process is always you have to get a rough sketch up there because this wall is bricks, it makes a grid,” said Pride.

It started as a sketch with chalk. After crates of spray paint, outdoor exterior paint and rollers, it developed into a piece of art some 15 feet tall and 45 feet wide.

“We found a clever way to use some of our playfulness to be a backdrop,” said Pride. “Instead of covering everything, we played around with letters. We played around with words.”

Inside the reflective metallic gold lettering, depending on how the light hits it, you can make out words such as “Candlestick,” “Gold-blooded" and "The Catch.”

The mural sits on the back of the building that's home to the World Sports Collectibles. The store sells 49ers memorabilia. The owner said the mural has helped increase his shop’s visibility.

“People have their pictures all over the world here,” said Owner Tito Hernandez. “49er fans they have been coming here to take pictures.”

The Illuminaries first big 49ers mural dates back to 2012 in San Francisco. Since then, the group has created murals throughout the Bay Area for the Warriors and Oakland A’s. Fans of the group’s work said this mural brings it back full circle.

“It’s not about being faithful because we won or lost,” said McIntyre. “I think it's about faithful because we are Bay Area and we are Bay Area strong. We are united.”