Travis,
My point was not to run down Perez. He is certainly a fine artist. I do realize they each have a different style. My tone is a reflection of my personal comparison of his work to Graig's.
As the appreciation of art is subjective, it is my opinion that the brilliance of Conlon's photos is wasted on Dick Perez. This is not because he can't paint. IMHO, Conlon could somehow capture the soul of the subject. It's difficult for me to explain in a better way. There is an emotional gut response I have to them. Graig's work evokes the same visceral response. He breathes life into the pictures. Perez's work doesn't capture is.
My description of Perez's work as cartoony sounded harsh. I didn't mean it as an insult. What I meant is that they look like someone drew/painted them. They look like illustrations.
Edit to Add: Had I never seen Graig's work to compare, I probably would think that Perez's version of Ty sliding was magnificent. It's just once I compare the two, IMHO, it pales.
Conlon
Perez
Kreindler
Who would you have chosen? Sounds like a good poll question.
Do I think Dick Perez is a bad artist? Absolutely not.
Do I think Graig is a better artist? Absolutely.
Are they both better than most of us here? Of course.
Best,
Mark