Thank you so much for all of your kind words, everybody. I really do appreciate every single last one of them. Without y'all in my corner, I wouldn't be able to do any of this.
I've been busy this past month, mostly which some unfinished stuff that'll make its way up here at some point in the near future. But as for finished work, there are two to speak of.
The first was a painting of Mickey that I've always wanted to do, but didn't get the chance to until it was commissioned:
Mickey Mantle, September 1950, 11" x 14"
I've always loved how young he looks in this image - he couldn't have been older than 18 at the time. And to think that months later, he'd be making his professional debut at Yankee Stadium. A place that housed over 67,000 fans. In line to take over for Joe DiMaggio in centerfield, no less. With the eyes of the New York media watching him like a hawk (well, a hawk for that era). No pressure.
Then there's this one:
Bill Barilko, April 21, 1951, 36" x 52"
This was commissioned by a board member a LONG time ago. Like, I'm embarrassed to say how long ago. But it was my first venture into the world of hockey. And though it was a blast to paint, it was also HARD. I neglected to realize how much closer spectators are to the ice and players than they are in the world of baseball - there are a LOT of faces in there.
Also, the general lighting scheme (dealing with flash photography) and the reflections on the ice proved to be a nightmare. But I'm very pleased with how it came out. I'm hoping that the fella who commissioned it absolutely loves the thing - lord knows he's waited long enough for it!
The moment is Bill Barilko's Stanley Cup winning goal from 1951, with the Leafs triumphing over Montreal in overtime of the 7th game. For those who don't know, Barilko would die in a plane crash only a few months later. Interestingly enough, Toronto failed to win another cup in the 1950s, and wouldn't do so until two months before the wreckage of the plane was found in 1962.
I also was able to finish some fun color studies over the past few weeks:
Cap Anson, 1875
Jim Devlin, 1876
Christy Mathewson, 1909
Babe Ruth, 1920
Josh Gibson, 1945
Gil Hodges, 1948
Ken Griffey, Jr., 1990
The Devlin was a real passion project, as there's only one or two known photographs of the man, none of which are of high quality. I think in the end, I pieced together something nice, and was thrilled to maybe bring his story to light a little bit. (For those of you who haven't heard/read about it, it's REALLY worth a look.)
Anywho, I hope y'all dig what you see. And as per usual, any comments, questions, critiques or whatever can be thrown my way via PM or email (gkreindler@gmail.com).
Thanks for reading!!
Graig