Jose Bautista painting from our 3rd raffle...

[Stampsfan]

Originally Posted by irv

I think today is a sign they are going to do the near impossible and come back and win this series!
It was great to see them finally wake up, and my gut tells me they are going to build on this win big time!

You're dreaming.

The only time they could win it all is by buying it. They had the highest payroll in baseball in 1992, and transformed almost half of their team in '93 (and bought that one too). Then, after watching the Yankees and the Red Sox win in the same manner, Toronto wailed on with a Trump-like whine for years about the unfairness of it all because they couldn't (or wouldn't) compete.

They are incapable of building a winner from within, but capable of whining about anything that doesn't go their way.

[baseball tourist]

Originally Posted by Stampsfan

You're dreaming.

The only time they could win it all is by buying it. They had the highest payroll in baseball in 1992, and transformed almost half of their team in '93 (and bought that one too). Then, after watching the Yankees and the Red Sox win in the same manner, Toronto wailed on with a Trump-like whine for years about the unfairness of it all because they couldn't (or wouldn't) compete.

They are incapable of building a winner from within, but capable of whining about anything that doesn't go their way.

Yeah, nobody has ever bought a championship before or after 1992/1993 right? I consider MLB games like going to the movies - it's entertainment for me. I would rather watch an Oscar worthy movie than a clunker. Saying that, the odd Indy movie can be quite enjoyable.

BTW, since we are team-bashing, I noticed your handle - the Stampeders and the entire CFL product is like watching a high school theatre performance - they try hard to entertain but the production is never making it to off, off Broadway.

[FourStrikes]

for what (whatever?) it's worth...

looking forward to hearing from / seeing Graig's progress rather than dissecting the current playoff series...

no offense intended, but the ORIGINAL topic is Graig's progress on the painting.

just sayin'.

DS

[irv]

Originally Posted by Stampsfan

You're dreaming.

The only time they could win it all is by buying it. They had the highest payroll in baseball in 1992, and transformed almost half of their team in '93 (and bought that one too). Then, after watching the Yankees and the Red Sox win in the same manner, Toronto wailed on with a Trump-like whine for years about the unfairness of it all because they couldn't (or wouldn't) compete.

They are incapable of building a winner from within, but capable of whining about anything that doesn't go their way.

I guess you don't follow baseball much, Stampsfan, but just enjoy bashing the Jays?
I won't get into with you, but you best pay better attention to other ball clubs if you think the Jays just bought their championships.

Congrats to Cleveland, BTW. Great win for you guys.

Good Luck in the World Series.

[ramram]

I'm guessing Graig has really got immersed in parenthood, at least I hope that's all it is. We haven't heard from him in quite a while. Hope he's enjoying the journey cuz those little ones grow up fast.

Looking forward to an update!

Rob M

[baseball tourist]

Originally Posted by ramram

I'm guessing Graig has really got immersed in parenthood, at least I hope that's all it is. We haven't heard from him in quite a while. Hope he's enjoying the journey cuz those little ones grow up fast.

Looking forward to an update!

Rob M

Exactly right. Graig emailed me today with an update - life with a little one, as any parent can attest to, can certainly shift your schedule around.

[Stampsfan]

Originally Posted by baseball tourist

Yeah, nobody has ever bought a championship before or after 1992/1993 right? I consider MLB games like going to the movies - it's entertainment for me. I would rather watch an Oscar worthy movie than a clunker. Saying that, the odd Indy movie can be quite enjoyable.

BTW, since we are team-bashing, I noticed your handle - the Stampeders and the entire CFL product is like watching a high school theatre performance - they try hard to entertain but the production is never making it to off, off Broadway.

Uhh... if you actually read what I said, I never said "nobody has ever bought a championship before or after 1992/1993". What I said is nobody else whines about it like Toronto fans and management after their team did exactly that.

Not sure I understand your strong, unrelated response, and thinking perhaps I should apologize for enjoying Canadian football?

Therefore, full disclosure here... I also enjoy the NFL, collecting vintage comic books and non-sports cards, playing golf (as a single digit handicap), playing semi-competitive hockey (in my mid-fifties), spending time with my grown children, and am a partner in a company that educates children, teens, and adults in preventing abuse, sexual assaults, bullying, and avoiding being a victim of crime. Feel free to make fun of any of these other passions I have, if that makes you feel any better.

Originally Posted by irv

I guess you don't follow baseball much, Stampsfan, but just enjoy bashing the Jays?
I won't get into with you, but you best pay better attention to other ball clubs if you think the Jays just bought their championships.

And Dale, see the first couple of sentences above regarding "if you think the Jays just bought their championships". Check your baseball history... they did.

So perhaps instead of spending months and months asking everyone on this board the same question, post after post "What do you think the cards my dad gave me will grade at?", do a couple of things:

1) Baseball research
2) Put us all out of our misery and get them graded, already. It's not that difficult.

[jb217676]

What will happen first, Bautista signs with a new team or this painting gets finished?

[icollectDCsports]

I'm sure the painting will be great when it's done.

As for the ALCS, glad the Indians won but the Jays had a good season and their fans should be proud.

[baseball tourist]

Originally Posted by Stampsfan

Uhh... if you actually read what I said, I never said "nobody has ever bought a championship before or after 1992/1993". What I said is nobody else whines about it like Toronto fans and management after their team did exactly that.

Not sure I understand your strong, unrelated response, and thinking perhaps I should apologize for enjoying Canadian football

Hi! I appologize if I offended. I took this to PM (just sent) and will keep my CFL etc bashing to that method of communication.

[irv]

Originally Posted by Stampsfan

Uhh... if you actually read what I said, I never said "nobody has ever bought a championship before or after 1992/1993". What I said is nobody else whines about it like Toronto fans and management after their team did exactly that.

Not sure I understand your strong, unrelated response, and thinking perhaps I should apologize for enjoying Canadian football?

Therefore, full disclosure here... I also enjoy the NFL, collecting vintage comic books and non-sports cards, playing golf (as a single digit handicap), playing semi-competitive hockey (in my mid-fifties), spending time with my grown children, and am a partner in a company that educates children, teens, and adults in preventing abuse, sexual assaults, bullying, and avoiding being a victim of crime. Feel free to make fun of any of these other passions I have, if that makes you feel any better.




And Dale, see the first couple of sentences above regarding "if you think the Jays just bought their championships". Check your baseball history... they did.

So perhaps instead of spending months and months asking everyone on this board the same question, post after post "What do you think the cards my dad gave me will grade at?", do a couple of things:

1) Baseball research
2) Put us all out of our misery and get them graded, already. It's not that difficult.

So you chose to post your opinions about the Jay's, their fans and their organization, in a Bautista painting thread, that a fellow CDN was lucky enough to win, to tell us what you do and how great you are?

Don't worry, I won't try and knock you off your narcissistic soap box, Stampfans, but that takes real class!

[yanks12025]

Can Graig paint boots on Jose?

[GKreindler]

Greetings from the dead, everyone!

Hope the turn of the year has been a good one for y'all, be it with family, health, collections or any combination thereof.

I have to apologize for the dead halt that this thread has come to these past few of months. Actually, I feel like it's been more than a few. Things on a personal and professional level have been a bit on the crazy side. with the former, it's just still been really tough adjusting to my now 17-month old (!!!), who I'm with for the most part of everyday. Things had started to get a bit better by the last few months of 2016 with my wife and I being able to put him in daycare for about 20 hours a week, as well as various family members being able to watch him every now and again. So, that did free up some time for painting.

However, I also had some projects I had been neglecting for a long while which absolutely needed to be completed, and that pretty much ate up the last four months or so of the prior year (I'm hoping that I can post that stuff on the regular easel thread soon, as I think the work is really strong). For what it's worth, all of this stuff I have been updating Chris about, and he's been really great with his patience and understanding, something I can't thank him enough for.

So, now I'm trying to get back into the swing of things with Jose, and this thread certainly needed an update.





Since the last time I posted, I'd been picking away at a lot of things. The background being the main thing, as there was just a lot of canvas to cover. Though the brownish tonal wash was already on the surface, it was important to start putting in general value and color relationships so that the crowd would actually start looking like a crowd, rather than just a bunch of shapes. It's one of those weird situations where even though that background plane is just a bunch of people with their arms and hands up, they need to sit properly in space. Sure, they're on top of each other and what-not, but they also need to look like they're reseeding - going back into the different rows of the stands.

I've also been working a bit on Jose himself, mostly on his head and upper body. It's been fun/murder trying to get to some of these little details, whether it's the writing on his batting gloves, the gleam on his helmet, or some of the subtle temperature shifts in his face and beard. But, I think it's all starting to come together there.

Also, you may notice that the piece is lit a bit differently from the last time I showed a photo of it. I did so because there are some spots on the canvas looking rather gray or matte - which is due to the nature of how some of these mixtures dry - and my normal fluorescent bulbs really accentuate that and make it tougher to shoot. As I work back into the piece (especially towards the end), the whole thing will be completely oiled out and have a uniform gloss and richness. So, those photographs will probably have a bit more 'oomph' to them.

Anywho, I hope y'all are diggin' what you're seeing. Again, I'm sorry it's been so long between updates, but I'm hoping to be back more regularly, and will hopefully get this done in the next month or so. As I inch closer, I'll be posting all of the updates that are fit to print.

If anyone has any questions, critiques, problems, whatever, feel free to fire away!

Thanks for reading, and also thanks for all of your patience!

Graig