Yeah, Griffey Jr is killer!!!

I also love the Snodgrass/Baker painting.

Love the Gibson and especially that Hockey Painting

Miracle on Ice must be in the Queue!

Hey all,

Hope this finds everybody getting a bit of warm weather. Things in New York are finally starting to feel pretty nice, as the last snowstorm should be behind us all. Hopefully. Fingers crossed.

Anywho, I thought I'd share what's been on the easel these past couple of months:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...pscjgowovh.jpg
Napoleon Lajoie, 1902, 12" x 16"

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...psyxn82vt1.jpg
Branch Rickey, 1914, 12" x 16"

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...pswybwlnuc.jpg
Willie Mays, 1951, 18" x 24"

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...pslgck4ek9.jpg
Tim Lincecum, April 12, 2009, 22" x 18"

The Lajoie was a lot of fun - I'm enjoying the hell out of painting stuff from Horner's lens. I still have Wagner and Dahlen to finish, but have plenty more in mind for the queue. They'll hopefully all make for nice business card fodder in the future.

Mays was a REAL challenge with all of the light and color stuff. It's not often that I paint anything from flash photography, but I've always loved his expression in this image. But yeah, you have a figure in the shadow, with the exception of some of the sun light on his cap, arm and knee. But that main shadow over him gets a bit blown out because of the flash. So, you have cooler temperatured colors coming from below, as well as some of the warmth of the lit ground reflecting into his jersey and face. And then you have the reflection of the sky cooling down the top plains of his head and shoulders. That is, where there isn't that blinding light. Basically it's a shitshow. But I think I got it.

The Lincecum was a nice change of pace, as I don't normally venture into modern territory all that often. But his body is an absolute freak of nature - kind of in the same way that Satchel Paige's was - so I couldn't even consider saying 'no.' Not that I would have anyway.

Hope ya dig 'em.

As per usual, if you have any questions, critiques, or comments, feel free to share!

Thanks for reading,

Graig

wow!!!!!!!! simply amazing!!!

Weird question, but if you make a mistake, like cough with the paint brush in your hand and get a smudge mark, is there a way to clean the canvas w/o ruining it? I mean, these paintings look so darn perfect! You must make a rare mistake, slip of the hand, etc. Share some "woops" stories! Cuz otherwise I'm just going to have to believe that you are a magician! :)

Awesome Graig! You've been busy...

Love looking at the beauties Graig. The hockey picture is stunning.

Thanks so much, everyone! :)

Rob, stuff like that happens all of the time. And there have certainly been instances in which I've coughed or been knocked into while trying to make a very precise mark. But I'm always able to cover it up, whether I'm just scraping the marks off and redoing the section, or just letting it dry and painting over it. Luckily, oil paint really does lend itself nicely to both of those solutions, especially in regards to scraping, which makes for some awesome textures to work on top of.

Graig

Graig any chance of another contest for us common folks to have a chance at one of your wonderful pieces?

Hey Mike,

I think it all depends on the interest. I had mentioned it a few months back but only a few people seemed to respond. If we can make it as successful as the first one in terms of involvement, then I'd love to do another.

Graig

I am in!

Great stuff as usual. I have run out of new adjectives to use.
I would definitely be interested in another raffle

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

Wow! That Lincecum is amazing! Your work just keeps getting better and better!:)

Just think this absolutely incredible thread warrants the occasional bump... because of reasons...

Brilliant work, as usual...

The Mays and the Freak are both outstanding... (so is pretty much everything else in this thread...) VERY inspiring work, my friend.

Some day, like everyone around here dreams, maybe I'll be able to own one of these beauties. Cheers!

I haven't been active on this forum in sometime however when I logged on I knew I had to check out this thread. Even more amazing stuff, keep it up! Hopefully I could eventually justify the cost of one to have for myself.

-Adam

Big Timmy fan, here. It's looking like he should have retired. :(

Wow Graig, that hockey image is one of your best works....and that's not easy to say, considering all your other mind numbing work!

Rob M

Holy smokes! This is my first chance to see this thread (as I never venture to the memorabilia side) and I am blown away! The hockey scene is absolutely amazing, and I'm a baseball guy through and through!

I just spent about two hours going through this thread...and my jaw is still glued to the floor. What great eye candy! Thanks for sharing your amazing work with us!

Makes it all that more special knowing what Graig had to endure painting that one!
I just saw it recently too, and like you, I was blown away even more (which I didn't think was possible?) by it that I have been with some others!

Truly one of the best artists/painters of our time, bar none!

Great job with the shadows and reflections on the ice. Those are often striking features of older NHL photos.

Hey all,

It's been a few months since I've updated this thread, so I thought I'd throw in some stuff that I've completed since then.

https://i.imgur.com/lBRXspI.jpg?1
Fred Tenney, 1897, 12" x 16"

https://i.imgur.com/XDt6h6j.jpg?1
Honus Wagner, 1902, 16" x 22"

https://i.imgur.com/2gSsG24.jpg?2
Ty Cobb, 1916, 18" x 18"

https://i.imgur.com/pPNnHAz.jpg?1
José Méndez, 1923, 9" x 12"

https://i.imgur.com/XJ9hqOp.jpg?1
Yankees, July 4, 1927, 44" x 66"

https://i.imgur.com/jpUPwyi.jpg?1
Josh Gibson, 1935, 22" x 28"

https://i.imgur.com/6lrdBGr.jpg?1
Jose Bautista, October 14, 2015, 18" x 24"

I was absolutely thrilled to finally tackle the Wagner painting, as I've had my eye on finishing it up for years. Same goes for the Méndez. And finishing the '27 Yankees? The damn thing nearly killed me. PhilNap can attest to that.

Either way, I'm still pretty darn behind when all is said and done. Fatherhood has most certainly changed how much work I can get done on any given day, so I'm doing my best to find a decent balance. I have to give thanks to a lot of clients who have been super patient with me, too. It's great that they know that this sort of stuff can't be rushed or half-assed, even if it means waiting much longer for their paintings as originally anticipated.

I'm also thrilled to make it known that I've been working with a client who has commissioned a large number of color studies featuring Negro and Cuban Leaguers (which some of you might have seen on social media), all of which we are hoping to be part of a traveling museum exhibit in 2019 and 2020. He's even been in the process of securing licensing rights with the majority of the featured ballplayers, including Gibson, Paige, Robinson, and a plethora of others - so finally, a book featuring my artwork might really be in the future (fingers crossed). I'll reveal more information on all of this stuff as I'm allowed to.

As per usual, thank you everyone for all of your love and support - it's all so very appreciated. And if you have any comments, questions or problems with any of the stuff posted (or anything in general), feel free to PM/email me and/or make it known on the thread.

And thanks for reading!!

Graig

wow, all of those are awesome, but if I had to pick favorites it'd be between the Tenney and Gibson!

They are all amazing but that '27 Yankees is incredible. Beats the hell out of the Mona Lisa, in my opinion.

Rob M

All his material is exceptional, especially the '27 Yankees piece.

I can watch this over and over again....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fih3vaEPwlA

and the password is....
 

Thanks so much, everyone! As per usual, I very much appreciate all of the love and support.

Kawika, seeing Groucho always makes my day.

Oh, and also, I thought y'all might enjoy this time-lapse of the Ty Cobb painting:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzzj...ature=youtu.be

Graig

The Cobb time-lapse is really cool Graig. I became mesmerized.

Thanks a lot, Curt!! It's probably because my ugly mug wasn't there to distract ya.

Fantastic stuff. That Jose Mendez is my favorite from the group. I would love to see the Yankees in person. Thanks for sharing them with us. And the time lapse was great on Facebook.

I enjoyed this one as well, even with Graig's mug in there! :D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_gfTOYlJsc

Hey all,

Hope you're all doing well and getting ready for Chicago. I wish I could be there with y'all.

As it stands, this thread has been pretty much obliterated by the new Photobucket TOS. And that makes me sad. This thing has been going on since 2009, so as of then, every single image is now that nasty graphic.

I'm doing my best to start breathing life back into this thing, but it's probably gonna take some time. I started uploading images to Imgur and have re-posted my latest entry (post #1070):

http://www.net54baseball.com/showpos...postcount=1070

I was hoping I could get some feedback, though. Are the images I posted ridiculously large? I mean, on my browsers, they seem as such, and since I've been having a few computer issues as of late, I just wanted to get some other eyes on them.

If they are as large as they appear on my browser, I'm gonna have to use a different service or change my settings, as I don't want any of them to be stolen and thrown on eBay by randoms. I know I can avoid that by using a watermark, like I do on social media, but if at all possible, I'd REALLY like to avoid that on here.

Anyways, if any of you can take a minute and check it out, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks!

Graig

The images are large and take up the some real estate but frankly the size does not bother me. You are quite talented. Just awesome realistic, detailed workmanship. It is enjoyable to be able to view such a large picture of your work.

Graig - Those are truly amazing! For me, I think there are just the right size.

Bravo! - and welcome back.

-Raymond

Awesome, Graig!
So sorry that we won't see each other in Chicago. Bummer!
Be well! :)

Thanks a lot, guys. I do appreciate you checking it out.

And I agree with you, they are a nice size for sure, but I think they're so big that it would be super easy for people to print them out for nefarious purposes...hmmm...

They are always fantastic and great to see them.

Life like.

Hope I'm not breaking Graig's rules if that 27 Yanks is my desktop background.

Rob M

Most of us just went through the same photobucket nightmare, so I feel your pain. When I solicited opinions for a new photo hosting site, the two main recommendations were imgur and flickr. With imgur, my scans also came across way too huuuuuuge, and there was no means to control it, so I switched to flickr and it works great. When it's time to copy the links to your pics there, you have quite a few size options, from massive to small, to choose from. I just went with one of the 'large' sizes and it was perfect. Without question, give flickr a shot. It's good for what ails ya. (No, I'm not a paid spokesman.)

In my collection, I have quite a few lithographs by Bill Purdom. I used to think that baseball art wise, Purdom was #1, that is until I saw your work. I can't afford your work, but I do admire it. I have heard the stories of the myriad of licenses one needs to publish images of MLB players and logos. That said, I still think some of your work would sell well. The Yankee Team picture is just sick, ditto on the Big Six piece as well. There are plenty of Yankee fans (as well as non Yankee fans) that would pay for a well done lithograph of the team picture.

Hey all,

Hope this finds y'all well and happy.

It's been a while since my last post, and plenty has happened - most of it being on the personal end. My wife gave birth to our second son in the beginning of August, so he's been taking up a lot of our time. Adjusting to having two kids has really been something else. I don't know if I've ever been more exhausted in my life. I'm told it gets better - but I'm really starting to wonder whether that's true or not.

Also, two months later, we moved. Granted, it was only about a mile south of where we were in Windsor Terrace, but it's been one hell of an ordeal and time suck as well. This new spot is really much better suited for us. There's plenty of space, and even room to grow a bit more. The layout is SOOOOO much better than what we had the past two years, which with the addition of Jonah, became a nightmare. Plus, my studio is da booooomb. I have a window (!!!!), shelves, and even room to walk around. More importantly, the neighborhood is good and diverse, and the schools are excellent. All things said, we're hoping to be here for at least 5-6 years at the VERY least.

And me, I'm just hoping to get back to the easel in the next few days.

Speaking of things related to art, my partner in the Negro Leagues project I've been working on the past 6 months has finally released his first product - and I'm heavily involved!! So, as of today, it’s official, the Uniforms of Josh Gibson - 1928-1944 is available for purchase, both as a lithograph (edition of 1,920) and a giclée (edition of 100), the latter being signed and numbered by the artist (me!).

https://i.imgur.com/sk3aInz.jpg?1

You can click on the below link for more information:

https://dfnlb.com/shop/

And of course, if any of you have individual questions, I'll do my best to answer them here or through PM. But needless to say, I'm stoked (and apprehensive) to finally offer reproductions of my stuff in any form - I'm very curious to see how it's received. Either way, I think the color studies were well done and look pretty darn cool.

We have more things in the works too, including similar lithos/giclées for the likes of Satchel, Rube Foster, Buck O'Neil, Jackie Robinson and a few others. Additionally, he's in the process of getting bobble heads made, as well as licensing the artwork for a myriad of stuff, including wine and beer.

So, yeah, if you're interested, feel free to check out the website for more info, and please share with anybody you think might be interested!

Thanks, guys!

Graig

PS: I'm hoping that once things clear up a little bit over here, in addition to getting back to the commission work that's been neglected, I'll also update this thread and fill in those dreaded empty slots where Photobucket has ruined things.

Wow two! Congratulations that's fantastic!

One word of caution though.

Once everyone is the family is old enough to start running, you and your wife can still employ the man to man defense. Adding one more little tyke, however, will result in the necessity of employing the zone defense. That's when it gets really fun.

Tom C

Welcome back, Graig, and congrats on number 2! My son was born June 23rd and we moved into our new house on June 27th. I was working 6 days a week prior to June 22nd so it made for some hectic times around our old household!:eek:

All worth it now, of course. :)

So fantastic. Can I get an inscription on mine?

You beat me to it!!! :D

Tom, two kids. Done. No more. Nope. Done. It's hard enough with one, and two is four times as nuts. We're good. Forever.

Dale, that's even crazier than our move. I can't even imagine, as I'm completely at wits end as it is.

Ben and Greg, I can absotively inscribe it if you'd like me to.

Craig,
Congrats regarding your new addition and your new artwork. I am looking forward to the first painting to come out with your signature and both your sons fingerprints......LOL I'll take that one.

Thanks, Bill. I'm doing everything in my power to make sure neither of them destroys anything. So far, so good. We'll see how long it lasts.

Congrats Graig! All very good news! You are a better man than me.....I was "one and done" with Millie. Finding the energy at 49 is a challenge!

I love the designs of uniforms throughout the history of the game, and you did a great job sampling the career of one of the greats of the game.