When Robert Vargas answered his phone, he was roughly 100 feet in the air and working on an awe-inspiring Chargers mural to celebrate the upcoming 2026 season.
"I'm just up here working on Justin's chin," the Los Angeles-based artist said with a laugh earlier this week.
Titled "The Storm Is Coming," Vargas' epic mural depicting the Bolts will reside on the north side of the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Torrance.
It will be unveiled on September 8 before the Chargers open the 2026 season at home against the Cardinals.
The artwork, which will be roughly 130-feet high, features Justin Herbert and Derwin James surrounded by electric current.
Vargas said Herbert's image will depict a throwing motion, adding the Pro Bowl quarterback will look "like Zeus." James, meanwhile, will be in celebration mode.
"It's those two players and it's the enormity of it that makes it so powerful and dynamic here, just kind of coming out of these trees that are in front of the building," Vargas said.
"I look at depicting these two players in a way that really celebrates diversity and bridges communities," Vargas later added. "This one in particular here, this intersection will now be a real destination for not only LA sports culture, but just culture in general."
Vargas said this week that he's in the "preliminary" stages of the mural but noted he's simply painting as he goes.
"I do everything freehand, so it's just literally me vibing it out, but in the next couple of days you'll really start to see some real progress," Vargas said.
"The Storm Is Coming" will be Vargas' second mural at the hotel as he also completed "Samurai of the Diamond" back in March. That piece features Dodgers players Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki while honoring Torrance's Japanese American history.
Vargas said he's excited for the Chargers to also be recognized on a grand scale.
"It becomes a bit more inclusive and a bit more diverse in ethnicity, in culture, and really that's what a team is about, that's what the city's about," Vargas said.
"It just speaks to this moment in time where it's a great time to be not only a sports fan in LA but a Charger fan here in LA," Vargas added. "Nothing has been done at this magnitude that really puts this team up like this in an original piece of artwork."
Although Vargas has created a mural on the hotel before, he said there are still obstacles to conquer.
"The real challenge is the surface because the surface is corrugated cement," Vargas said. "You literally hear the ticking of the brush hitting the cement … when I worked on the other side, I broke plenty of brushes."
Although we're still two-plus weeks from the unveiling, Vargas said he's fired up to show the piece to Chargers fans and Southern California alike.
"Me being up here, no pun intended, but being charged with that intention, it kind of flows out of me and just kind of comes together," Vargas said.
