Thank you so much for all of the kind words, everybody!!
It really was a joy to paint that one, especially because of the subject matter. And obviously, the light was also a big selling point.
Here's one that I thought had some similar kind of vibes to it:
Babe Ruth, November 29, 1924, 38" x 28"
In terms of the scene, well, I don't know a ton about it. What I could gather is that it's part of the barnstorming tour that Babe was on in the fall of 1924. I know that at least some of it took place in northern California, but I'm not sure how much, or for how long. I wasn't able to find much information in the papers, but I also might not be looking in the right place. The slug on the back of the original photo listed the date as November 29, though I think that that might be too late, as I have proof that he was touring in late October, but am not sure when the gigs actually stopped.
It's worth noting that the uniform he's wearing might not be specific to that barnstorming tour, as it reminds me a LOT of the jersey worn by the players during the 1913-14 world tour. I wonder if it's actually from then?
Anywho, if you know the original photo, it's hard to think of anybody other than Norman Rockwell when looking at it. In that regard, I think one needn't look any further than the subject matter: a ballplayer interacting with kids. It's a motif that's often a winning combination, and something that Rockwell utilized often in his work. It may not have always been a relationship between a sports figure and a child, but it always seemed to be somebody older--maybe a mentor or authority-type figure and some neophyte-sort. Many people think that it's those illustrated interactions and insinuated relationships that make Norman's work so sentimental and sweet. I feel like those are the same qualities that I tried to imbue into this painting (though considering the photo is so great, I didn't have to do much). And let's be honest, that sense of saccharine is only heightened by the fact that the depicted ballplayer is none other than Babe Ruth.
If it's not obvious, Norman was-and still is-a huge influence on me. As a painter, I was first attracted to his technical abilities--the way he rendered form and handled the medium was just truly exquisite. And in my opinion, his design of the picture plane was equaled by very few artists or illustrators during that time period. He was a throwback to Howard Pyle, who treated his paintings as perfectly orchestrated stage performances where every single subject and its placement was incredibly important to the telling of the story, and creating drama in the picture. Still to this day, I can thumb through books of his work and sit there in awe of the kind of emotion he was able to elicit. I feel like if by the end of my time here, I can even touch the hem of his garment as far as that sort of thing is concerned, I would die a happy man. Maybe doing paintings like these is a step in a good direction for that. Ya know, dying.
Hope y'all dig it, and as always, feel free to comment, critique, question or throw things.
G