breathtaking
 

Graig, those are breathtaking. Great job!!

Mariano
 

Hi Graig,
I love your new Mariano Rivera. You did a super job on painting this modern classic...

BTW, thanks for all the kind words about you enjoying the Vandy project. To be honest, I had never considered commisioning an artist to paint a sports theme until I started following your work. I'm thoroughly convinced that you are the best sports artist on the planet!

Keep up the terrific work!! :)

Thanks again, guys.

Jacksons, it's funny because doing the more modern stuff provides a different challenge. Though I have access to color photography, I still find myself sticking to a different vision of color for the most part, still trying to breathe something different into the subject. I guess I just feel that photography really does take a lot of air out of whatever it's depicting, especially since the human eye can see and process so much more information than a camera lens. And translating that onto a 2-dimensional surface just becomes harder and harder.

And to be honest, I wish I could do more modern stuff. That's part of the reason why I'm glad you're still into the Dent painting. Maybe I just won't be satisfied until I have every era covered. And covered well.

Oh, and Scott, you're being too nice! Let's just say I'm the shortest sports artist on the planet. Which I think might be true. Ben? Jimmy? Danny? Phil? Yeeeah.

Anywho, here are another two I got back from the photographers, though don't think I posted...

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...ait_Conlon.jpg
Joe DiMaggio, 1936, 16" x 20"

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...ait-Conlon.jpg
Red Ruffing, 1936, 16" x 20"

Really, thanks again everybody.

Graig

Graig,
Scott isn't being nice. He's being honest.
I cannot remember seeing another artist breathe as much life into their subjects as you do.
New/Old it doesn't matter. Matty, J Jackson, Babe, Gehrig, Mantle, Jackie R, Joe D, Tyree, Strawberry all incredible images. Doesn't matter what age or Sport. Even that golf one you did was crazy good. I can't wait to see your first Hockey painting.
Dude..You da Man.
Your height don't matter as long as you can reach the canvas!

Mark

I cant agree with this more.

I would even venture to say that Graig, you might just be the Rockwell of sports artists. I think your work is that good!!

Still in awe of the matty. This is the greatest thread ever.

1000 thanks, guys. You seriously make me blush.

:o

Hey Graig.
I saw this photo of Jackie Robinson and thought of you. Check it out:
http://www.theroot.com/multimedia/co...ackie-robinson

--elm

Graig, this is the first time I'd ever seen your work, literally spent the morning flipping through 40+ pages just to see the work and hear from the artist.

Really great stuff man, truly. I'd love to talk to you a bit about commissioning a work in the future.

Darren, that one's always been a favorite. I'd love to try my hands at that one!

Phikappapsi, thank you so much - glad to have you aboard!! If or when you ever want to proceed on anything, just drop me a PM or an email. Hope you continue to enjoy what you see!

Hey guys!

Here are two more I just got back from the photographers:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...n_Portrait.jpg
Lou Gehrig, 1927, 16" x 20"

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...ait_Conlon.jpg
Babe Ruth, 1928, 16" x 20"

The first one I had done a study for a year or so ago, so it's nice to see a finished, refined one realized. And the Ruth, well, the eyes (once again) have it.

Hopefully I'll have two more to show tomorrow, both of which are for two different Net54ers - a Mo' Rivera and a Johnny Vander Meer!

Hope y'all dig 'em!

Graig

Fantastic as always

Thanks a lot, Tucker!!

Graig

And here are the other two!

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1..._Meer_1938.jpg
Johnny Vander Meer, 1938, 20" x 28"

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...October_12.jpg
Mariano Rivera, October 12, 2004, 26" x 36"

Hope ya guys dig 'em!

Graig

Graig, very nice, as always! Good to see that the Vander Meer turned out so well.

Great job on both, Graig! That Vander Meer is (IMHO) in your top 3 of all time. Such a beautiful image and rich colors. As a Reds Fan I suppose I'm biased, but I cannot imagine a better painting (or a better choice of subject by Scott!)

Incredible Mo as well... very powerful image. Congrats on creating two more masterpieces! :cool:

Graig -

So many great images of Mo over the years, this one you have breathed life into - simply beautiful - the light and depth are remarkable.

I have many great memories of Rivera, going back to 1995, watching him blowing away Jay Buhner on high fastballs with that deceptive heat and fluid motion.

Here's hoping his career does not end on the warning track at Kaufmann Stadium. Praying he is able to come back next year and close it out in style.

Great work, pal!

Whoops, I've been neglecting this thread for a little bit. Thank you ALL for such nice words about the last two. I'm really happy with both of them, and I'm certainly hoping the clients feel the same way.

And in regards to Mo, jacksons, as soon as you mentioned Buhner, all I could conjure up were his titanic homers off of the Yankees. I still can't get over how good those mid-late '90s Seattle teams were. They used to give me nightmares.

Here are two more I just got back from the photographers:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...r_Portrait.jpg
Smoky Joe Wood, 1909, 16" x 20

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...e-Hitter-1.jpg
Bob Feller, July 31, 1946, 28" x 30"

The Feller is actually an oldie, but I had to change a few colors on the billboard, as I discovered they were wrong after the fact. I hate when that happens!!

Smoky Joe was an interesting painting to try and tackle indeed. I think in the end, what I was going for was a painting that showed what Horner saw in his viewfinder before he snapped the shot. So, in other words, Wood needs to be breathing and that beautiful north light has to be hitting his flesh and jersey just right. I hope I was successful.

Anywho, I hope y'all dig 'em!

Graig

Graig love what you did w/ the Joe Wood, you really brought him to life

Graig,
Smoky Joe looks AWESOME!! :)

Graig,
WOW! You never cease to amaze. The last few have been great.

There is something so majestic and regal in that Wood. It looks like an old master style painting. I mean that wholeheartedly as a compliment.

Keep up the great work.

Mark

only being on this forum for a year, could you catch me up on a few questions i have.


how long does it take for you to make a painting, on average? About how many do you do a year?

what % of your paintings are baseball related?

have you done other sports?

have you ever done a painting of a boxer?

I'll third this. Your Smoky Joe Wood portrait is incredible!

Thanks a lot for taking the time to comment, guys, I really appreciate it. And of course, your kind words are also really wonderful.

Jay, I couldn't have done it without ya!

Scott, I'm glad you like it so much. Did you receive Vandy yet? If so, what's the verdict?

Mark, that's quite a compliment. That's definitely the kind of effect I was going for. Or, trying to go for. I think in this case, the pose really helped - it has such a classic feel to it.

Ben, thank you so much!

Travis, time it takes to do these paintings vary from piece to piece. The smaller 16" x 20" player portraits only take a few weeks, though the larger, more detailed images usually take a month or in some cases, many. It all depends on how complicated of an image it is as it relates to research, elbow grease and anything else you can think of. Right now, I'd say that I'm consistently averaging about 20 paintings of varying sizes per year - though it's probably even more than that.

99% of the paintings I seem to do are sports related, with about 95% of them being baseball related. I've done a few football pieces here and there, as well as a golf painting, but I have yet to tackle boxing. Hopefully I will soon!

Thanks again, everybody.

Graig

Graig,

What an amazing talent you have...years from now, when I can afford it, you'll be hearing from me!

Thank you, Andrew!! I appreciate it. And if you do get something, should I assume it'll be of a certain New York/California/Houston/Texas pitcher?

Graig

BINGO! An amazing artist AND a genius...does it never end??

sent you a PM as well.

Andrew

boxing is a good challenge because if it is an "in the ring" action painting, the muscle tenseness, striation, face contortions would be awesome because two guys fighting for their lives, lots of stuff going on.

i am a joe louis fan, that would be my first choice.

That Joe Wood painting is incredible! One of my favorites. I always love the action shot at a ballpark in the 40s/50s with all of the colorful advertising around the park.

But, that Joe Wood is just so lifelike. The string on his jersey looks so real to me I can't stop staring at it.

Wonderful work! I would love to add a piece to my collection some day.

Great Job Graig.

Thank you so much, guys!!

Believe me, boxing would definitely be something I'd LOVE to paint. I just think I need more of an education with the sport before I can really pick something that would resonate. They're some great photographers from the 50s that took exceptional shots for Sports Illustrated - maybe they'd be good to start looking at.

Either way, I don't know if I'd ever be able to paint something as good as this:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...ge-bellows.jpg

Bellows never fails. And then there's this guy:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...arpshooter.jpg

God, I LOVE Rockwell. NO one told a story like him. Look at that staging! That narrative! That emotion!! The warm, red note on the blonde's flower!! What a monster he was.

Boxing has such a rich, painted tradition. One day I'll crack it.

Graig

The Ali/Liston image at the Lewiston, Maine fight would be awesome.

This shot of Tony Demarco being knocked out by Basilio in 1955 might be my favorite of all-time:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...rypo1_1280.jpg

Another genius work by Hy Peskin.

Graig

I am a huge fan of Rockwell but I can honestly say I have never seen this boxing painting. I agree with you in that the way he sets the stage and tells the story is pretty incredible. Every character in the painting makes my mind wander to try and figure out what exactly they were thinking at that moment.
It is as if the characters come alive right there on the canvas!

those paintings are incredible!

This picture is really cool of Ruth. But it is pretty dark and hard to see detail. Ruth crossing home after his 3rd World Series homerun. And the crowd celebrating his "hat trick". Pretty neat to see the hats being thrown. Thought it may make a nice painting...

Hey everyone,

Hope you're all having a great summer, and had a very safe and fun Fourth yesterday.

I've been giving a handful of paintings to my photographers over the past week (and will continue to do so tomorrow), and here are the results of the first two:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...amura_1936.jpg
Eiji Sawamura, 1936, 20" x 32"

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...87_Cabinet.jpg
Charles 'Hoss' Radbourn, 1887, 12" x 16"

The Eiji took forever to come together, as it's just ridiculously hard to get ANY good reference of this guy. MANY thanks to Robert Klevens for hooking a brutha up. And the second image, which was a fun departure, was provided by Rob Lifson and the good people at REA, so a big 'thank you' to them as well!

Also, there's some exciting stuff going on in the next few weeks, as the USPS is going to be releasing a book entitled 'Play Ball! Great Moments in Major League Baseball History,' which will be featuring 16 baseball-themed stamps that have been released over the years (some of which are from Kadir Nelson, a WONDERFUL artist). Anywho, the book will be 40 pages from what I understand, and I've been honored to have 12 of my paintings featured throughout the thing (though not on the stamps). If ya'd like to get more info, check it out here:

https://store.usps.com/store/promo/c...mo_MLBAllStars

It's a pretty big deal, as I guess the book will be available in post offices throughout the country. And though I don't get any royalties for the book or anything like that, just being able to say that one of my clients has been the United States Postal Service is quite a resume boost. Hopefully it can lead to some good things.

At the same time, I want to thank ALL of you guys on the boards for showing me so much love and support over the past few years, whether it's been through purchases, comments, critiques, or just general friendship - it means more to me than I can possibly express.

Anywho, I'd love to hear your thoughts on any of these two, especially the Radbourn painting, being that it's another one of those interesting studio portraits that had always been a scary endeavor.

Thanks,

Graig

Graig that Hoss is the BOSS!! As usual, stellar work on both paintings and congrats on the book!! Keep up your wonderful art and wish you the best!
Dan

Graig that Eiji is utterly amazing.

Huge congrats on the Book! As far as sports Art is concerned you are the leader of the pack! Continued success!

Marvin

Both paintings are great but that Hoss is just freaking amazing!!

Congrats on the USPS recognition. You certainly deserve it. I hope you remember us small timers when you get huge national recognition.....and you will get huge national recognition.

+1 Graig, I love the Hoss Radbourn! :)

Also, there's some exciting stuff going on in the next few weeks, as the USPS is going to be releasing a book entitled 'Play Ball! Great Moments in Major League Baseball History,' which will be featuring 16 baseball-themed stamps that have been released over the years (some of which are from Kadir Nelson, a WONDERFUL artist). Anywho, the book will be 40 pages from what I understand, and I've been honored to have 12 of my paintings featured throughout the thing (though not on the stamps). If ya'd like to get more info, check it out here:

https://store.usps.com/store/promo/c...mo_MLBAllStars

It's a pretty big deal, as I guess the book will be available in post offices throughout the country. And though I don't get any royalties for the book or anything like that, just being able to say that one of my clients has been the United States Postal Service is quite a resume boost. Hopefully it can lead to some good things.

At the same time, I want to thank ALL of you guys on the boards for showing me so much love and support over the past few years, whether it's been through purchases, comments, critiques, or just general friendship - it means more to me than I can possibly express.


Can't tell you how proud and happy I am for you Brutha. I've been waiting five years to say this Graig... I told you so! ;)

Graig,
I just love the Sawamura. It is just so lifelike. For me it is reminiscent of the Matty in feel.
The Hoss is great as well.

Congrats on the book. It is some well deserved and overdue attention for you.

Best,
Mark

Graig - congratulations on having so many of your paintings in this new book. I hope the United States Postal Service realizes the significance of this inclusion!!!

Craig

Graig,

Very exciting to hear that some of your work will finally be available to us low-budget Kreindler enthusiasts :p I know you've talked before about the many ins and outs and various roadblocks to doing prints or books, so it's encouraging to see you getting a break for once. I'll definitely be picking up a copy of the book.

Oh, and the paintings are great as usual. Funny how that seems a given with any painting you post to the point that it's not the first thing I think to comment on. Where is that Sawamura set? I can't imagine difficulty in coming up with even 1 good reference for that one. Very nice!

Hey guys,

Thank you SO much for all of the warm wishes and congrats - it all really means a lot to me. I know I said it before, but I'll say it again: none of this would have been possible without you ALL. I'm truly blessed.

I'm definitely hoping that if nothing else, doing this USPS thing can lead to learning more about the whole rights and legal issues surrounding reproductions and all. While I'm still unsure as to what our plans are in terms of a specific focus, I DO know that Dean is going to be pursuing putting a book together. And I know I've been saying that for a while, but that's what he's been telling me. I think he keeps a lot of info from me until it's set in stone, as he knows I can get disappointed pretty easy. But yeah, in my eyes, I would love it if it could be somewhat in the spirit of the first Conlon book from the 1990s. Or maybe some Archie comics.

Lance, unfortunately, I never figured out exactly where the Sawamura was set. Robert and I did a lot of skull-crunching (and some Japanese translating) and we discovered that the image culled culled from the spring of '36, when the Tokyo Giants did a tour of the midwest before they started their own season a few months later. Robert could probably fill you in on some of the other details (though there really weren't many to speak of). It's actually the first time (I think) that I've done a painting and have had no clue about what ballpark it was in.

Just don't tell that to anyone. ;)

Thanks again, everyone!

Graig

Graig, will you sign my moobs at the National? In fountain pen too please so it doesn't fade over time. Thanks

Ben,

I will. If you promise to shave them this time. I'm tired of getting chest hair and day-old ice cream in my Sharpie.

Rot.

Affectionately,

Graig

Graig, both pieces are fantastic. Its neat to see Ole Hoss in color & come to life.

Hilarious! Disgusting, but hilarious :p

Can you guys please make it a PRIVATE signing? Too many children could be permanently harmed by witnessing this.
:D