CHALK TALK: 'Alabama Gothic' parodies classic painting

Ryan Watson's artwork is lit up like a theater marquee sign hanging above the stacked beer glasses.

At first glance, the chalkboard drawing at the Druid City Brewing Co. looks like a classic American painting.

But on second glance, the drawing depicts college football's ultimate odd couple.

Alabama football coach Nick Saban is the farmer and ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum is his daughter in the parody version of Grant Wood's 1930 painting “American Gothic” at the Druid City Brewing Co. taproom.

They call it “Alabama Gothic.”

“Around big games, it has kind of become like a weird tradition (for Druid City Brewing Co. to) take a classic piece of art and then parody it with some of the iconic Alabama (football) figures,” said bartender and fellow artist Sarah Ferguson.

Other artists have previously drawn renditions of Michelangelo's “The Creation of Adam” with Paul W. “Bear” Bryant as God and Saban as Adam. Offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin has also been portrayed as Venus in Botticelli's “The Birth of Venus.”

Ferguson said Bo Hicks, co-owner and brewmaster of the company, suggested that Watson draw Finebaum's face on the farmer's daughter's body instead of their original idea to use Kiffin because he thought Finebaum would be funnier.

Ferguson said the chalk art doesn't have an underlying meaning. It's meant to be satirical.

“We don't really have any implication,” she said. “We just do it because it's funny.”

Watson said they chose “American Gothic” because it's an easily recognized piece of art.

Watson and Ferguson collaborate to create one-of-a-kind works of chalk art at the taproom on 14th Street, but they only parody classic pieces of art when it comes to

football-themed drawings.

During the off-season or when UA plays a lower-level team, the artists chalk up the board with themes based on the month. They drew a “Beetlejuice” theme board for Halloween and a woodland theme during the summer.

But for one of Alabama's most important games — Alabama vs. Ohio State on Thursday in the College Football Playoff semifinal 1 in New Orleans — Watson drew the rendition of the classic painting and Ferguson drew up the surrounding menu using large, cartoonlike letters to contrast Saban's serious expression.

Watson said he hopes Saban is focused on the game but that it would be nice if he noticed the drawing.

“Yeah. We don't want to distract him, but if it happens to come to a point where he catches a glimpse, we'd like to think that he got a giggle out of it, if he's capable of giggling,” Ferguson said. “I think one of the cool goals is it might make Saban think about smiling.”

In the meantime, Ferguson said the drawing will put a smile on new customers' faces and serve as a conversation piece.

However, “Alabama Gothic” could be gone almost as quickly as it went up.

“If we lose, it's gone,” Druid City Brewing Co. co-owner Elliott Roberts said. “If we win, it will be up there until at least the final game.”

The taproom at Druid City Brewing Co., 607 14th St., is open from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and from 2 to 8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.