Hey everyone,
Thanks so much for the kind words and well-wishes this holiday season. And thank you all for being patient with me as I get back to a 'normal' life. With a soon-to-be six month old around, things aren't quite the same as they were. And I'm imagining they never will be.
The painting of Charlie Bennett that I did for Joe was an absolute labor of love. As I know I've opined to a lot of you, I really do enjoy painting these lesser-known guys, especially those who aren't in the Hall of Fame. And as Joe will attest to, Bennett had a VERY interesting history in the game, and was quite the beloved figure in Detroit's baseball scene until his death in 1927. So when I was approached about it, I didn't even think twice. I'm thrilled that he likes the finished piece so much.
Regarding the auction of the Cy Young painting, well, I just hope it goes to a good home. I never really like seeing my stuff on the secondary market like that (when it's not through my own doing, I mean), but it's unavoidable. It just kinda feels like one of my kids is being sold to the highest bidder, but then again I'm probably a lot more attached to this stuff than most people are. I do wish Goldin used a better photo of the painting and had some updated bio information, but it's not really for me to decide.
That not withstanding, here are a few pieces that have been completed over the past couple of months:
Fred Snodgrass & Home Run Baker, October 17, 1911, 28" x 16"
Hank Aaron, 1956, 16" x 24"
George Lederer & Sandy Koufax, October 3, 1965, 25" x 20"
The painting of Home Run Baker being spiked by Fred Snodgrass was commissioned by Bloomsbury Publishing, as it's to be on the cover of the new Maury Klein book,
Stealing Games. Anyone interested in learning a little bit more about the book (or seeing the cover), check out amazon's link:
http://www.amazon.com/Stealing-Games.../dp/1632860244
It was a cool image to tackle, as it's very different from the kind of shots I normally work with. And the dank atmosphere of the misty afternoon at the Polo Grounds was a lot of fun to play with.
You're probably thinking that the Hank Aaron painting is exactly the same as the one I did for the first Net54 raffle winner. It's actually from the same day, probably only a second or two before/after that other one was taken. You'll notice most of the differences in his hands and face.
The Lederer and Koufax painting was a holiday commission for George's son, Richard. For any of you unfamiliar with George's work and legacy, I highly recommend checking this piece out from Baseball Analysts (written by Richard):
http://baseballanalysts.com/archives..._80th_birt.php
The scene is from after the last day of the season, where Sandy Koufax was presented with a 'Dodger of the Year' trophy for his excellence throughout the season (actually, it was presented to the Dodger who had won 'Dodger of the Day' the most times that year - who was invariably Sandy). Anywho, it was to be an heirloom for Richard and his family, and thankfully, he was very pleased.
On the easel now is Phil's huge 1927 Yankees painting, which STILL hasn't been finished. I recently put a bow on the Bill Barilko piece from way back, so that'll make its way to the new owner soon. All of this means that I'm slowly catching up with my waiting list here, so that makes me happy. For those of you who have been on it for a while, I can't even articulate how much I appreciate your patience. Thank you.
Additionally, I've been finishing up other color studies, some of which are still on eBay (
http://www.ebay.com/sch/graigkreindl...p2047675.l2562), and others that are being tweaked here and there. Those include Cap Anson (1875), Ed Delahanty (1892), Josh Gibson (1945), Ted Williams (1939), Christy Mathewson (1909), Jim Devlin (1876), Ken Griffey Jr. (1990), Gil Hodges (1950), Lou Gehrig (1928) and Babe Ruth (1920).
And here are some smaller uncommissioned pieces that I have going in my spare time (which is non-existent), too:
Napoleon Lajoie, 1902, 12" x 16"
Bill Dahlen, 1903, 12" x 16"
Honus Wagner, 1902, 16" x 22"
I guess I'm sticking with a Horner T206 theme here? I have MANY more I'd like to paint in that same vein.
Anywho, sorry for the super long post. Hope you all dig what you see, and if you have any questions or comments, feel free to fire away!
Graig