Thomas “DeTour” Evans strives to be different.
As a result, the unique murals the Denver-based Evans creates certainly standout. His work has been described as “playful, multimedia and interactive” and art that “defies easy categorization.”
Evans grew up a military brat as his family moved around during his childhood. Eventually, the family settled in Denver, where Evans went to school for business (though he obviously continued to hone his craft in the arts). His passion and experience with art began during his childhood, as he used it as a connecting factor to make friends in whichever area he was living in at the time. As Evans explained, he eventually developed his high-level skills as a result of creating so consistently.
His nickname came from a breakdance VHS tape that he purchased while living in Germany. Evans specified that the tape had the word Detour in it, which he instantly took a liking to, especially because it represents “the path less traveled”, which Evans believes is what his career is all about.
In my practice, I try not to follow the trends or what other people are doing,” Evans told Altitude TV during a Nuggets360 interview back in Jan. 2019. “I’m figuring out how I can be myself because when you don’t follow, you’ve got to detour.”
JC Futrell, the Education Director at RedLine Contemporary Art Center (where DeTour held his 5pointers show back in November) expressed what many feel about Evans’ work and process, saying “I’ve never seen any other artists work in the kind of space he’s in. His curiosity is more like an engineer or scientist than a standard visual artist.”
Just over a year ago, DeTour created a mural of Denver Nuggets legend Alex English that was autographed by English himself during a Nuggets home. He was also tapped to honor each Nuggets alumni player with a mural that was unveiled during each Skyline Night game at Pepsi Center last season.
“Painting individuals that have contributed to the Nuggets and Denver in general over the years is exciting,” Evans said. “I’m trying to commemorate these individuals in a unique way, rather than a plaque or trophy.”
Given Evans’ focus on sticking out and doing things his own way, each piece is a unique representation of his subject, which he takes pride in.
“One of the things I want Nuggets fans to know is that each piece is somewhat of a unique fingerprint,” Evans added. “If I were to do this painting again, it wouldn’t look anything like this.”
As Denver has grown rapidly as a city, Evans has seen tremendous progression in his career. As a result, he has been able to work with brands such as Netflix, Sprite and Red Bull. Given his unique skill set and focus on taking the path less traveled, there will be plenty of work from Evans moving forward that recognizes local and national figures in trendsetting fashion.
“Actually having the opportunity to paint someone and having it relate around a franchise like the Nuggets, for me was really cool,” Evans said. “To have it be in front of a crowd as well, it was exciting to have them see how I interpret this jersey or this basketball move that they made. Everything they’ve worked for over the years, it’s kind of expressed on a canvas.”