Jose Bautista painting from our 3rd raffle...

[GKreindler]

Hello friends,

So, I figured I'd start a new thread for Chris' Jose Bautista painting (from the raffle last month), just to give a fresh look into this thing on my end from the ground up.

As you've probably read by now, Chris is a big Blue Jays fan, and has been since the team's inception in 1977. When we were in contact the first time, he made that known. From the outset, he wasn't terribly interested in a painting of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig or Christy Mathewson. He likes those fellas, but he wanted something that was a bit more on the personal side. Also, no self-respecting Toronto fan could possibly live with him/herself if a Yankee was adorning their wall!

He had a couple of ideas in mind, many of which he shared with the board: Joe Carter's romp around the bases, Devon White's catch in the '92 WS, George Bell's pennant-clinching catch in '85, the first pitch thrown in Jays franchise history, and finally, the Bautista bat flip.

Chris was a little bit worried that I might not really go for the last one, since it was a bit modern, and also somewhat controversial with a lot of people. Personally, it was never a problem for me, as I'm happy to just act as the visual reporter here. After some back and forth, I could tell through our conversations that more and more he was leaning towards Jose, as he eloquently stated the reason for in the raffle thread:

"I would be ecstatic with either but when I look back at last season and how I had something to cheer about after over two decades of zero playoff baseball. I didn't miss a game (live or PVR) and I was able to get into with my daughter (she has a Bautista doll and at 8 months, could search for it by name).

Even though it looks like Jose won't be resigned at the end of this year (which I realize is a business decision, but like Carter and Alomar etc, he deserves to have a place with the Jays greats) what he did while a Jay has been special. Two HR titles, 54 bombs in 2010. Really the only star for a long while.

Carter's HR now, when looking back, seems like a cherry on top of a sundae that I couldn't finish. An embarrassment of riches from 1985-1993. All those great moments from that run blend into one pleasant memory. Bautista gave me a fresh one to hang on to."

I don't think there could have been a better reason for choosing a specific player or moment, and I was thrilled that he went with what his heart was telling him. This is one of those pieces that just feels different - you can tell how much Chris (and his family) lives and dies by this team. And that's just awesome.

So, onto the image itself. Below is what we chose to work from (though the full, uncropped shot has a bit more room on both the left and right sides):



Normally, I would probably have tried to convince Chris to go with the larger, more expansive image - capturing the scope of the moment is always an important thing, and size is usually a big factor in doing so. But when it came down to it, he really liked to have it cropped and focused in on Jose:



I think it was an excellent choice, as he's still going to be able to keep a good amount of fans in the background. The fact that all of their arms are raised to the sky really adds to the emotion of it all, and I think helps tell the story. But in the end, the focal point will be Bautista's bat. He ends up being cropped a bit more tightly to the edge in that lower left corner, and his bat just steals center-stage. And when it's painted, I'll make sure that that's where the viewer's eyes go first.

Speaking of the painting, the stretcher bars have officially been ordered. once they land here in Brooklyn, they'll be constructed, and we'll get into the linen and priming.

Looking forward to sharing this journey with all of y'all! And if you have any questions, comments or problems, don't be afraid to chime in.

Thanks for reading,

Graig

[baseball tourist]

Thanks again to Graig, Bill and all the participants and commenters! Very excited!!

[Dewey]

Epic. Gonna be so, so good.

[MartyFromCANADA]

Great choice Chris. Go Jays!

[clydepepper]

Graig & Chris- This is going to be GREAT!

What I remember about that moment was how LOUD it got!!

Even down here (geographically), You HAD to get excited!

Chris - thanks for sharing your specific reasons for the specific subject.

Graig -thanks in advance for allowing us to ride along on this journey.



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[btcarfagno]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

Graig & Chris- This is going to be GREAT!

What I remember about that moment was how LOUD it got!!

Even down here (geographically), You HAD to get excited!

Chris - thanks for sharing your specific reasons for the specific subject.

Graig -thanks in advance for allowing us to ride along on this journey.



.

Indeed. I had no dog in the fight at that game. Was just watching as a fan. The Bautista bomb couldn't have been scripted by Hollywood any better. Gave me goose bumps.

Tom C

[Tigerden]

That is going to be an incredible painting. It has so much going for it visually , full of emotion and passion. You don't need to be a Blue Jay fan or have watched the game to know a home run has just been hit. Flipping the bat says it all . I'm really glad the painting is contemporary . I love Graigs work from any era. Awesome selection Chris!

[GKreindler]

Thanks so much for contributing, everyone!

I'm super-stoked for this painting too, especially because it's modern. I feel like I'm lacking a lot of that in my portfolio, and ideally, I'd love to have a very well-rounded amount of years/eras from which to draw. Or paint. Whatever.

If I can get some more stuff from 1960 on through today, I'd be a happy camper, for sure. Then again, there's this Deacon White painting I want to do...

[icollectDCsports]

Not only are the fans' arms raised, but they're still focused on where the ball landed as he's looking at the bat as he flips it in celebration, so that image captures both what the fans were experiencing and his perspective in the moment just after the home run. Pretty cool.

Great choice Chris! Either of your top two would have been great (Carter or Bautista). The painting will probably be as epic as that bat flip

[billyb]

Chris,
Your selection was well thought out. Great job. Can't wait to see the finished product. That painting will light up the whole wall, hell, maybe the whole room. Very very cool.

[T206Jim]

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[yanks12025]

Originally Posted by T206Jim

Congratulations on winning the painting. If you are not 100% on the pose, as a Rangers fan I might suggest an alternate pose from today's Rangers/Jays game with the alternate title "Karma".

Seriously though, the bat flip is a great pose and will make for a great painting. I think the Deadball Era players would get a chuckle out of all the commotion from these incidents.

That is so great to see. Jose deserves that 100% for all the dirty stuff he does.

[irv]

Originally Posted by T206Jim

Congratulations on winning the painting. If you are not 100% on the pose, as a Rangers fan I might suggest an alternate pose from today's Rangers/Jays game with the alternate title "Karma".

Seriously though, the bat flip is a great pose and will make for a great painting. I think the Deadball Era players would get a chuckle out of all the commotion from these incidents.

I was waiting for someone to post that up

Originally Posted by yanks12025

That is so great to see. Jose deserves that 100% for all the dirty stuff he does.

What dirty stuff is that? He gets tattooed with a pitch and he is expected to take it?

The bat flip is controversial but under the circumstances, one could understand someone getting caught up in the moment like he did. He meant no disrespect.

Personally, I think the Ranger's are acting like a bunch of cry babies. That game last year stung, understandably, but that's the way it goes, and this is a new season.

[7nohitter]

Chris and Graig,

Thank you for including us on the 'journey!' I love seeing Graig's work from beginning to finish.

Oh, since I did contribute $40 do you think one of the fans in the back could have a Red Sox hat on?

[Shoeless Moe]

I like this one better...

[Bpm0014]

Hahahaha

[gregr2]

It was a quality punch.

Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

[thenavarro]

Go Rougned!! Made many of us down here in Texas smile today. Good job.

[Dewey]

Everything is bigger in Texas, including the sour grapes. It boils down to their feelings getting hurt because a dude jacked an iconic home run of them. Deal with it.

I've got no problem with that slide either. Especially after Bautista got a high fastball into the ribs. Then the whining Rangers get all offended when a rotund Fielder takes a ball to his thigh. Gibbons diagnosed the situation perfectly. Gutless.

Dodger fan here. No dog in this fight. But I sure like the painting even more now.

[baseball tourist]

Originally Posted by yanks12025

That is so great to see. Jose deserves that 100% for all the dirty stuff he does.

I think you need to watch the man play. I've seen more than a few games and he doesn't play dirty. That slide today was harder than it might have been if he wasn't just hit it the ribs with a 96 MPH 4-seamer but it wasn't dirty.

[baseball tourist]

Originally Posted by thenavarro

Go Rougned!! Made many of us down here in Texas smile today. Good job.

He connected allright! Jose commented on that in is post game interview! It was a sucker punch in my opinion.

[baseball tourist]

Originally Posted by Dewey

Everything is bigger in Texas, including the sour grapes. It boils down to their feelings getting hurt because a dude jacked an iconic home run of them. Deal with it.

I've got no problem with that slide either. Especially after Bautista got a high fastball into the ribs. Then the whining Rangers get all offended when a rotund Fielder takes a ball to his thigh. Gibbons diagnosed the situation perfectly. Gutless.

Dodger fan here. No dog in this fight. But I sure like the painting even more now.

I agree.

[baseball tourist]

Originally Posted by 7nohitter

Chris and Graig,

Thank you for including us on the 'journey!' I love seeing Graig's work from beginning to finish.

Oh, since I did contribute $40 do you think one of the fans in the back could have a Red Sox hat on?

Andrew, I really appreciate the support Sir, but I don't think I can do it. Red Sox and Yankee hats make me queasy . Can't wait to finally get to Fenway though. Been on my bucket list for ever!

[thenavarro]

Originally Posted by baseball tourist

He connected allright! Jose commented on that in is post game interview! It was a sucker punch in my opinion.

Congrats on winning the contest, can't wait to see your painting in the end.

Mike

[baseball tourist]

Originally Posted by thenavarro

Congrats on winning the contest, can't wait to see your painting in the end.

Mike

Thanks Mike!

[chaddurbin]

Originally Posted by Dewey

Everything is bigger in Texas, including the sour grapes. It boils down to their feelings getting hurt because a dude jacked an iconic home run of them. Deal with it.

I've got no problem with that slide either. Especially after Bautista got a high fastball into the ribs. Then the whining Rangers get all offended when a rotund Fielder takes a ball to his thigh. Gibbons diagnosed the situation perfectly. Gutless.

Dodger fan here. No dog in this fight. But I sure like the painting even more now.

pretty much this. if you had this big a hard-on the whole offseason hit him the first chance you see him. don't wait until the last ab of the season and have a 30 yr alcoholic who wasn't even on the team last year do the dirty work for you.

[T206Jim]

Guys, let's return this thread to its original purpose as it has veered way off track. I have deleted my intended humorous post about the Rangers/Jays game yesterday and would request everyone else to do the same for theirs. After all, the painting and its development is a much more interesting topic than the merits of a baseball feud.

[btcarfagno]

I agree Jim. However, in some ways, what happened yesterday does make the subject of the painting even that much more interesting. I mean, what happens if these two teams meet again in the post season?

Also, I wanted a reason to post this in all its gloriousness.




Now. Back to the painting.


Tom C

[Bpm0014]

For as hard as Odor hit him, to Bautista's credit, he didn't go down. And that punch landed as squarely as possible....

[Joshchisox08]

Originally Posted by baseball tourist

I think you need to watch the man play. I've seen more than a few games and he doesn't play dirty. That slide today was harder than it might have been if he wasn't just hit it the ribs with a 96 MPH 4-seamer but it wasn't dirty.

+ 1

Not a fan of either team, nothing against either player. The slide was a clean slide.

Odor should be suspended for a pretty lengthy amount of time.

[Sean]

I agree. Give him a10 game suspension.

[ramram]

Originally Posted by Bpm0014

For as hard as Odor hit him, to Bautista's credit, he didn't go down. And that punch landed as squarely as possible....

I agree, but I don't think Bautista new what planet he was on for the following ten minutes!

Rob M.

[UnVme7]

Originally Posted by baseball tourist

He connected allright! Jose commented on that in is post game interview! It was a sucker punch in my opinion.

I didn't see a sucker punch. Watch the replay-- Jose was leaning back with a fist ready to go first.

Plus, if Odor didn't move off to the side of base, he would have a broken leg right now. I understand why he did what he did.

And the slide was illegal. After all, they reviewed it and called him out for that very reason.

[ooo-ribay]

Bautista was getting ready to punch; Odor was ready.

[clydepepper]

I'll bet everyone saw this one coming down main street:

I think what Odor did really stinks!



Thank You - I'll be here all week.


rim-shot...from a union man at that
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[baseball tourist]

Originally Posted by UnVme7

I didn't see a sucker punch. Watch the replay-- Jose was leaning back with a fist ready to go first.

Plus, if Odor didn't move off to the side of base, he would have a broken leg right now. I understand why he did what he did.

And the slide was illegal. After all, they reviewed it and called him out for that very reason.

I've watched it a few times and I saw them jawing at each, Odor shoving him and then bam. Also when you watch the video you can see the low throw made by Odor which loos like head hunting to me. Take a look at the video from this angle: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FEI3WdzsCI8. Bautista doesn't assume a fighting stance or clench a fist after Odor's shove, he puts his hand up creating distance.

[ramram]

Originally Posted by baseball tourist

I've watched it a few times and I saw them jawing at each, Odor shoving him and then bam. Also when you watch the video you can see the low throw made by Odor which loos like head hunting to me. Take a look at the video from this angle: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FEI3WdzsCI8. Bautista doesn't assume a fighting stance or clench a fist after Odor's shove, he puts his hand up creating distance.

Dropping his arm to make throw to first is standard protocol for the relay man on the double play to get the runner to clear out.

I see Bautista starting to reach back and clinch his fist right before his short visit to Disneyland.

Rob M.

[steve B]

From the sound of things we need to set up a cage match during the 7th inning stretch

Where's the wrestling guy?! we demand a year of XMLB!!!


Seriously, this stuff has been going on since baseball was invented. It's part of the game.


Steve B

[irv]

Not OK for Baustista to slide like he did but OK for Odor?

[baseball tourist]

Originally Posted by ramram

I see Bautista starting to reach back and clinch his fist right before his short visit to Disneyland.

Rob M.

Pls look again Rob - I don't see Jose making a fist until he gets clocked. Both angles back this up but the one I posted earlier makes it very clear. Anyone else see JB making a fist, or am I going blind?

[UnVme7]

Originally Posted by irv

Not OK for Baustista to slide like he did but OK for Odor?

If those pics of Odor are from this year, then he was called out. If they were from previous years, perfectly legal.

[ramram]

Originally Posted by baseball tourist

Pls look again Rob - I don't see Jose making a fist until he gets clocked. Both angles back this up but the one I posted earlier makes it very clear. Anyone else see JB making a fist, or am I going blind?

In Tom C's video above, it sure looks like Bautista's fist is going back and starting to close. He was just slower than Odor. I'm sure Odor is no angel but Bautista has made his own nest around the league. IMO he needed to be humbled, and I think that may have just happened.

Rob M.

[baseball tourist]

Originally Posted by ramram

In Tom C's video above, it sure looks like Bautista's fist is going back and starting to close. He was just slower than Odor. I'm sure Odor is no angel but Bautista has made his own nest around the league. IMO he needed to be humbled, and I think that may have just happened.

Rob M.

It not a secret that I am a fan of JB, but as a fan of baseball I need to point out that the game has room for personalities and its hard scrabble players and plays. I am no wall flower. Jose has done enough in the league to earn a bit of playoff homerun boasting. Odor has not done much yet (save landing a haymaker).

[frankbmd]

Should Bautista exorcise the funk?

[ramram]

Originally Posted by baseball tourist

It not a secret that I am a fan of JB, but as a fan of baseball I need to point out that the game has room for personalities and its hard scrabble players and plays. I am no wall flower. Jose has done enough in the league to earn a bit of playoff homerun boasting. Odor has not done much yet (save landing a haymaker).

Agreed. And, I do enjoy the diversity of personalities in baseball as it gives you plenty of players to love, hate, laugh and cringe about. I'm a life-long Royals fan and yet there are players on the team that I would not care for if they weren't wearing a KC uniform.

Rob M.

[clydepepper]

Chris & Graig- Here's hoping this thread gets back to the subject of the upcoming painting and the process of creating it.


.

[baseball tourist]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

Chris & Graig- Here's hoping this thread gets back to the subject of the upcoming painting and the process of creating it.


.

Thanks Raymond. If Graig doesn't mind I certainly don't. Good to have some threads with a healthy back and forth.

[GKreindler]

Hey all,

Can I just say that I LOVE where this thread's been going. As I mentioned to Chris in an email just now, this pretty much confirms that he made the right choice for his painting. Clearly Bautista's actions last October really left a bad impression with the Rangers. And I'm not in a position to say whether what happened then or with Odor's punch is 'good for the game', but it makes the story of Chris' painting more and more compelling, in my eyes.

So, with that in mind, I'm happy to say that I received the stretcher bars for the linen last week. As I probably mentioned in previous threads, I use a heavy duty kind of bar, so there's less of an issue with warping. At the same time, it makes the painting feel a little bit more substantial to me. Unfortunately, like an idiot, I forgot to take a photo of the bars before construction. Doy!

After the linen was properly stretched and secured, I primed it with matte medium. The reason for doing so is to create a barrier between the primer the paint sits on and the linen itself. Over time, without such a thing, the oil paints will rot the linen. Granted, it probably wouldn't happen in our lifetime, but still.

Here's the canvas after the matte mediuming (Is that a word?):



If any of you have ever heard of rabbit skin glue, matte medium is a water-based equivalent. The former is used moreso with oil primer, a ground that I don't really love painting on. Acrylic gesso is more my speed. For what it's worth, it's a little less archival, but the difference in that become secondary to the kind of surface I want to paint on.

After the matte medium dries, it gets two coats of gesso:



Now, the next step is to sand it down a little bit to get rid of any unwanted texture. And from there, it's onto the drawing!

It's probably worth noting that one can easily walk into an art supply store and buy a pre-made, pre-stretched canvas. And there's nothing wrong with doing so. Actually, the quality of some of them is REALLY good. But I just like doing it all myself - it's a weird sense of accomplishment to build these things from the ground-up, I suppose.

Anywho, if any of you have questions or comments about these steps, feel free to chime in. Or, if you want to continue chatting about anything related to Bautista, the bat flip, the punch, whatever, go for it!

Stay tuned...

Graig

[steve B]

Neat post!

I really like seeing stuff in progress with explanations like this. Especially when it's someone doing it themselves instead of using off the shelf stuff. (And like Graig said, nothing wrong with premade stuff it's just less interesting to me)

One of my customers when I was doing Hydraulics had a small press. The type he had is usually a laboratory press, and lasts a long time. He'd wear out the seals in a couple years. Finally I went to pick it up because he was busy and the tenants who'd helped him bring the working part downstairs had moved.
Turns out he was an artist who pressed his own linseed oil and added pigments to make his own paints. "Just like the did back in the old days " he said.

Pretty cool.