Matt Palmer, founder and owner of ICON Artworks, talks the evolution of the Kansas Jayhawks mascot in sculpture form

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Twitter handle: @iconArtworksKC

Hometown: Born and raised in Kansas City — home of the world champion Kansas City Royals!

Current neighborhood: Leawood

What do I do: ICON Artworks is a family-owned and -operated art studio featuring the works of my uncle, acclaimed sculptor Robin Richerson. Our mission is to immortalize treasured icons in cast bronze, a timeless, classic medium. We also specialize in cast pewter. We recently introduced our officially licensed Jayhawk desktop sculptures for the University of Kansas … the first time the entire evolution of the Jayhawk has been created in sculpture.

What’s your addiction? Kansas Jayhawks basketball. ROCK CHALK! I love sports in general, and I’m a lifelong fan of the Royals and Chiefs, too. Music is my other addiction, and I have a collection of more than 4,000 albums and CDs. However, with the advent of Pandora, Spotify and others, it doesn’t seem as valuable.

What’s your game? I love no-limit Texas hold-’em poker!

What’s your drink? For health reasons, I rarely drink. But I do enjoy tequila occasionally … and Sapporo.

Where’s dinner? We love sushi at Ra or the Drunken Fish, Izumi Japanese steakhouse and Jalapeño’s. I’d love to eat at the Capital Grille on a daily basis … in a dream world.

What’s on your KC postcard? Our world champion Kansas City Royals!

Finish this sentence: “Kansas City got it right when …” We celebrated the World Series Championship at Union Station — 800,000 fans and no cars on fire. No vandalism. It made me incredibly proud of our city.

“Kansas City screwed up when …” The border between Kansas and Missouri was established. It creates far more challenges with our city’s development due to it being on the state line.

“Kansas City needs …” A world-class airport. I would have said a downtown ballpark, but the renovations to the K are fantastic. I just wish our beautiful skyline was in the background.

“As a kid, I wanted to be …” Luke Skywalker or Gene Simmons of Kiss.

“In five years, I’ll be …” Enjoying as much time with my family and friends as possible.

“I always laugh at …” Amy Schumer’s comedy.

“I’ve been known to binge-watch …” Breaking Bad, American Pickers and Shark Tank.

“I can’t stop listening to …” Kansas City’s own Red Line Chemistry. Tool, Steely Dan, Kings of Leon, Keane and early R.E.M. However, my daughter has hijacked the airwaves, so I’ve been subjected to plenty of Katy Perry and Taylor Swift as well.

“My dream concert lineup is …” The Beatles, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. Of the hundreds of bands I’ve seen live in my lifetime, I never had the pleasure of seeing these three.

I just read … I started reading Life, the Keith Richards autobiography. But, in all honesty, the only books I’ve completed recently are children’s books I’ve read with my 5-year-old daughter … like Llama Llama Red Pajama.

What’s your hidden talent? I love to play the drums, but I keep the noise hidden in my basement.

What’s your guiltiest pleasure? Chocolate — in any form. I love the sea salt caramels from Costco.

The best advice I ever got: The one thing in life we can control is our attitude. And don’t give up. Don’t ever give up!

Worst advice: Money can’t buy happiness. This is true, for the most part, but it can buy a boat big enough to sail right up next to it.

My sidekick: My wife, Tracy, the love of my life for 16 years. And our amazing daughter, Bebe, too!

What is your spirit animal? Great question! I had never thought about this topic before, so I took an online quiz to discover my spirit animal, and the results were a butterfly and a hummingbird. It referenced a tiger, too, but my allegiance is with the Jayhawks, so I can’t accept that. Haha!

Who is your hero? The term “hero” is thrown around too often. Jesus Christ tops my list, and I’m incredibly grateful to the men and women who serve in our military as well as our police and firefighters.

What is your nemesis? Time. There never seems to be enough of it, and it passes by too quickly.

My favorite toy as a child? My record player

My dating triumph/tragedy: My wife and I just celebrated our sweet-16 wedding anniversary.

My brush with fame: My wife and I saved the life of a drowning woman and her son while on vacation in Destin, Florida, several years ago, which received a lot of attention from local and national media. We were unaware of the fact the woman was trying to commit suicide and take her son with her. We pulled them out of the ocean and performed CPR. We were called “heroes,” but it was simply instincts.

My soapbox: Can’t we all just get along?

My recent triumph: Working with my uncle, Robin Richerson, to create the sculptural depiction of the evolution of the Jayhawk, a mythical bird that is very dear to me. This is the first time in KU’s 150-year history that it has been done and the only time the university has officially licensed the entire collection. Rock Chalk!