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.



.

[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!

[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 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.

[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.

[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.

[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!

[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.

[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.

[Lordstan]

Graig,
Forget the haters. If someone wins and doesn't want to wait, send it to me instead.
Btw, it looks spectacular. You did Jose serious justice although the other painter is definitely much hotter than you are.
Also, why did you not post the 27 Yanks to your On The Easel thread? I think it has been a while since that thread got some love buddy.
Mark

Oh damn. I forgot. I owe you some scans. Coming shortly.
Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk