Amazing work, again, Graig!

You guys are the best. Thank you SO much.

Damn. As good as Mickey is, that Ruth is spectacular.

I follow you on Twitter and absolutely love your art work!!

Graig,

Your latest Ruth painting is amazing! It’s so detailed it looks like you can count the threads in Ruth’s socks! Fantastic painting!

Now I want a painting of The Great Bambino.:)

I cannot agree more. That Ruth needs to be hanging in an art museum somewhere. The owner is a luck guy/gal!!

My favorite thread on N54. Graig is a god.

Great work Graig! Now that you've accomplished the monster task of doing the 27 yanks, when are you going to do the Addie Joss day team photo :) and yes, those faces are judging you :)

Attachment 325520

Thanks a lot, everybody. Again, I REALLY appreciate the kind words.

Paul, I never thought I'd hear you utter those words...or read that you wrote them.

Kawika, I think you mean 'gourd.'

Sean, I would LOVE to tackle that one. Never has a team looked so bad@$$, and that's even with Cobb wearing the wrong jersey.

My top 5 favorites
 

So many great paintings. My personal favorites.
Keep up the awesome work.
My Gehrig is of course first, but after that it's Matty, Ken Williams, Jackie, and then Clemente. So many others, but wanted to keep it to 5.
I wish I owned them all.

I know, right? LOL. :D

The Ken Williams and 1915 Babe may be my favorites of all your paintings. The colors and depth of field in those two are just amazingly realistic.

Graig,
Each year your paintings just seem to get better and better, I can't wait till you turn 60. :)

Graig, you are the Johannes Vermeer of sports art. Very impressive work.

Are you basing the paintings from known photos, or are you making entirely new angles and poses?

Speaking of Vermeer

Do you use a mirror and a version of a camera obscura to create these or do you do these without those?

After watching Tim's Vermeer I wonder how each painting is done when I look at it.

Awesome paintings

Easel
 

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Sorry it's taken so long to respond to you guys! I really appreciate all of the kind words about my stuff, as per usual. And it's super cool that some of you actually have favorites. Every bit of positivity you guys send my way is soooo wonderful, especially considering how challenging things have been in the past few years. Your patience (you know who you are) has also been BEYOND stellar.

Manny, thanks so much for the kind words!! I can't say that I have anything on Vermeer, though - that guy was a beast. For the most part, the stuff I paint comes from single photos, but occasionally I get to create new compositions from a mish-mosh of photographs and other visual sources.

Dpoolem3, I don't use a camera obscura, but I do often use the modern equivalent in a projector. That especially goes for the larger images. Though I can do it freehand, it's just SO much quicker using more modern methods. And time is definitely at a premium these days.

Here are two new ones I got back from the photographers recently:

https://i.imgur.com/PSlwymm.jpg?1
Christy Mathewson, 1905, 11" x 16"

https://i.imgur.com/66FlmO9.jpg?1
Thurman Munson, October 19, 1976, 24" x 18"

That Matty was for a fellow board member, whom I'm sure some of you can guess the identity of. I'm hoping that the painting adds to the huge pile of karma that he'll receive for what he gave up from his own collection in order to do what was right.

Munson was a lot of fun too, and seriously, I'm glad to have finally painted the great man. He probably is the most requested player I've had that I had yet to paint. Securing the rights to the image was an absolute b*tch, but was finally taken care of. It's being delivered to my client tomorrow, so I'm truly hoping he loves it as much as I'm told he will (it was a gift).

Oh! And I should also mention that much to my surprise, I was named one of the 2018 Sport Artists of the Year by the good folks at the United States Sports Academy. I'll be down in Daphne, AL on 11/8 to celebrate - if any of y'all are in the area, come on by!

https://ussa.edu/news/public-invited...r1U5QaJX-NSnGk

Anywho, as per usual, I hope you enjoy them. And if you have any questions, comments or problems, feel free to share!

Thanks for reading,

Graig

Congratulations on the USSA award Graig! That is very cool and certainly well deserved. I always love when you update this thread. As a proud owner of one of your paintings, I can say that I marvel at my Ruth painting every time I look at it.

*** What a Celebration, Congratulations Graig! ***

And Your Falk Matty is Simply Brilliant... :)

Congratulations on the award Graig!
It's well deserved!

Wow, that Thurm is amazing! Congratulations on your well deserved award.

Congrats Graig on the 2018 Sport Artists of the Year!

Very cool, congrats! Well deserved.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Congrats
 

On your major award buddy!

Just Great Stuff, Graig!

Just like Sidd Finch...you strike out 26 in a row and leave us wanting more!



=

Thank you so much for all of your kind words, everybody. It's been a pretty tough year in terms of my working habits (I guess two young kids will challenge that), so this was really a surprise that came out of nowhere. In fact, I still can't believe it - I feel like there's been some sort of mistake.

But if not, I'm truly honored. And I only hope I can start to catch up soon. And for those of you who have stuck with me and have been patient with your commissions, I appreciate it more than I can possibly express. And know that the final products will be worth that wait.

You guys are the best.

Graig: It is immeasurably more wonderful to own a work of art when its provenance includes having shared a matzoh ball soup dinner with the artist.
The Falk Matty is Kreindleriffic!

Great art and great soup. Both from Old Masters IMO.

My daughter is now staying a few blocks from Katz's for college. I have not been there in sooooooo long. Looks like not much has changed. Have to get there soon.

BTW, Congrats on your award. It's about damn time you got the credit you deserve. It is long overdue.

Thanks so much, guys.

FWIW, it doesn't get any better than Katz's or the 2nd Ave Deli for me. I think I prefer the former most days because of it's proximity to my local subway, but I'm not super picky. Either way, the matzoh ball soup is an absolute delight in either place, as is the corned beef. I will, however, put 2nd Ave's kasha varnishkes ahead of anyone else's. Anywhere. Any grandmother's. There, I said it.

Anywho, I thought it was worth bringing up that some of the Negro League color studies I've been doing over the past few years will be appearing in a show in Peekskill, NY starting this coming Saturday, 11/3.

The show will be in conjunction with Andrew Aronstein and TCMA, who will be showing off a bunch of their gorgeous baseball photographs from the '30s, all of which were shot by working press photographers on assignment for The Sun. The clarity of which, are pristine as all hell.

They're going to be offering up postcard sets of their holdings, as well as my studies from the event, and I think they already look pretty rad:

https://i.imgur.com/sLIMy7x.jpg?1

Some of the sets of my work will also be available for purchase here:

https://negroleagueshistory.com/shop...ard-set-of-15/

I think there's a limit as to what can be bought before the show, but I could be wrong. It's my understanding though that there will only be 150 sets made. If anyone wants to know for sure, I can check with the powers-that-be to make sure.

Anywho, for those of you in the area, the show itself will be at:

Kurzhals Coffee
900 Main Street
Peekskill, New York 10566

I think it'll be up for a few months, but I'll be there that Saturday (11/3) from 11-3 if any of y'all locals wanna come by and throw tomatoes at me.

G

Those postcards look awesome! Just ordered 2 sets! Congrats on the award as well, well deserved for sure.

Graig,
Wow, congrats on your recent award! You totally deserve this honor.
That Thurman Munson just jumps off the canvas & Matty is amazing!
All the best,
Scott

Thank you so much, Scott and Erick. You both rule.

Graig

I ordered a set of the postcards as well. I sense a Graig Kreindler private signing being set up any day now.

Not in Place Yet, But They Are Here!
 

Graig- These are amazing 'in person'!!!

I'm glad I finally joined 'your' club. Your Work is Amazing!!

I'll post again once I have them in their permanent spots.

Thank You

-Raymond


Attachment 334246

Finally in place albeit on an already crowed wall...but, of course, they stand out!!

Attachment 334564

Congrats Robbie! They look great!

Hey everyone,

Hope you're all having a great start to 2019.

Things on my end continue to be busy in almost every regard. My kids are certainly keeping my head on a swivel, and with Jonah (my youngest) finally starting to walk and become more vocal, I imagine it's only going to get more intense. With them being in daycare part-time, if I can get 20 hours of work/painting done in a week, then it's a reeeaaallllyy good one.

However, I'm doing my best to press onward, and in the past few months, have finished these guys:

https://i.imgur.com/gNfbRc1.jpg?1
Christy Mathewson, 1912, 20" x 26"

https://i.imgur.com/OYKyx8l.jpg?1
Leopardos de Santa Clara, 1923, 30" x 48"

The Leopardos painting was a real toughie (though admittedly, not as life-sucking as the '27 Yankees canvas). I had been doing all of those color studies for Jay and his Negro Leagues project, but this one was for a different client and was a nice opportunity to do a fully realized piece on such a similar subject. I'm hoping that I get to paint more of the Negro ad Cuban Leaguers like this, as it was a real honor to paint this club. In my mind, these guys are just as interwoven into the fabric of the game as much as the players in the white leagues. I just hope I did them justice.

Speaking of the Negro League stuff I'd been doing to Jay, I don't know if I posted these here (and if I did, I apologize), but he released a set of postcards commemorating a centennial team of players (who were voted on by visitors to the website and Facebook page). The result was a 34-card set that looks pretty darn good, methinks. If anyone wants to learn more about it, check out the below link:

https://negroleagueshistory.com/shop...-postcard-set/

Anywho, as always, thanks for checking out the thread. If you have any comments, critiques or questions, feel free to post.

Hope y'all dig 'em!

Graig

Graig that team shot is awesome, must have taken months to finish it

As always, they are great, Graig!

That team photo is really something. I always love the details present in the painting, from the wrinkles in the jerseys to the car behind the players, to the roof in the background beyond the fence. Outstanding!

Thanks so much, guys!! It really was a lot of fun to work on, and in the end, I'm super thrilled that I was able to do it. The scan, though great, doesn't quite do it justice - seeing it in person is the way to be.

Jay, definitely months. Many months.

I have now run out of words to describe how I feel about your work.

I stand in awe of your talent.

The Rembrandt of the Ballyard.

Graig- I love that team painting! AWESOME!!

Thanks you guys. You sure know how to make a girl...er...guy blush.

Beautiful stuff, Graig! I'm glad to hear your fatherhood updates as well. :)

Both of these paintings are certainly terrific, but the color and composition of the team photo is really breathtaking. It just jumps off the canvas!

All my best,
Scott

The players are always amazing. But it's the backgrounds that always get me the most with your work. The wooden fence, the dirt and grass, pebbles, the car behind the players, etc. That stuff all brings it to life for me. Beautiful stuff!

+1, Has a nice ring to it!

Amazing stuff as always. The group shot is awesome!

Hey all,

Hope this post finds everyone doing well and getting into the spring swing of things.

I've had some stuff completed over the past few months which I wanted to share with y'all. As well as some fun news.

First, the paintings:

https://i.imgur.com/hoPTbZG.jpg?1
Cy Young, 1902, 16" x 22"

https://i.imgur.com/fFACMpD.jpg?1
George Halas, 1919, 12" x 18"

https://i.imgur.com/SrsPejH.jpg?2
Lou Gehrig, March 24, 1924, 18" x 28"

https://i.imgur.com/5afARBR.jpg?1
Cal Ripken, 1981, 10" x 16"

The first image of Cy Young was a lot of fun to paint, especially since it was based off of another Horner cabinet. I've actually gotten in touch with a collector who's commissioning me to paint the rest of the Hall of Fame Horners that were used as T206s. I think he's hoping to have a show of them at some point, but I'm not completely sure about that. Either way, it's a very cool project to be a part of.

The second image was a big challenge. There aren't a whole lot of images of George Halas in baseball togs, so there wasn't much to work with there. But I was lucky enough to have access to a decent file from the holdings of the Library of Congress. In the original image, he's in his road Yankees uniform, which I had to change. Trying to research what the Saints club from 1919 wore was an absolute b!tch. I had a lot of help from the great Taylor Simons (THANKS, Taylor!!), but even then, it was tough to lock down the accurate visuals. The reason for the painting, well, it was commissioned by some folks who will be opening up a St. Paul Saints museum in MN this May. I don't have a ton of details about it, but I think I'll be in attendance for the event - which is a great honor!

Third, good ol' Gehrig. And the image from his rookie Exhibit card, no less. Another really tough one to complete, especially when I was trying to find proper visual information for the ballpark he's in here - Heinemann Park in New Orleans. It's amazing that though the Yankees had spring training there for a short stint in the 1920s, and the Pelicans called it their home for over forty years, it was super hard to dig up quality photos of the place. Regardless, I feel like I was able to make it fly, and if nothing else, breathe some new life into an otherwise damp and dank card. Or at least, that's what I'm telling myself.

And last, we've got Mr. Ripken. Ever since seeing this image on a crappy photo on eBay, I've been in love with it. Thankfully, the fella who commissioned it gave me carte blanche, so I was free to pick an image of the man that moved me. I didn't even think twice before I picked this one. Rhett Yeakley and Bill Haelig were the paragons in this instance, hooking me up with quality scans of their originals prints, which were MUCH better than what was available on eBay. Something about the light in this one, with Cal being in shadow and the beautiful intense sky behind him. A fun contrast between light and dark, warm and cool stuff. Having that hair and the Rochester uniform were nice bonuses.

Now, regarding some fun news, some of you might have noticed on social media that I've finally broken into the official baseball card world. Or, my art has. I've been commissioned by Topps to create twenty paintings for their current 150 Years of Baseball set, which is available on their website.

The set itself is a part of their new(ish) print on demand model, which they've been using on the Topps Now and Living Set cards. Basically, however many cards are purchased, that's how many they'll print, and after a certain timeline, they won't be available anymore. For the 150 Years of Baseball set, three cards are released each Tuesday, all of which are available only for a week.

My first card, seen below, came out on 4/16:

https://i.imgur.com/xgRGkDl.jpg

https://www.topps.com/topps-150-year...s-ty-cobb.html

It'll be available for only another day or so. They're slated to release a new card with one of my paintings every two weeks, with the next subject, Lou Gehrig, coming out on 4/30. After that, I'll be painting Roberto Clemente, Ted Williams, Duke Snider, Bob Feller and Warren Sphan. There have also been whispers of depicting a modern player or two, with Griffey Jr. specifically mentioned.

So, in addition to trying to make progress on commissioned work from a while back, as well as the Negro and Cuban Leagues project, I've got this beast to try and slay. All with my kids being in daycare for 15 hours a week. I shouldn't complain though, I'm BEYOOONNNDD lucky to have a 'problem' like this. And I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO grateful that so many of you have had confidence in me, as well as patience. Seriously, I can't even articulate how thankful I am for all of it.

Anywho, hope you all enjoyed the paintings, and if you're into my work and cardboard, these issues from Topps will be fun to get a hold of, too. At least, I hope. If any of y'all have any questions, critiques, problems or general comments, feel free to share!

Thanks again!

Graig

As always, thanks for sharing your beautiful artwork Graig and also a big thanks for taking the time to keep us informed on all of the projects.

Rob M

Thank YOU, Rob! I appreciate the kind words.