On the easel...

[dbussell12]

Originally Posted by GKreindler

Those frames look pretty darn rad, Jamie. Love seeing the original seat colors incorporated so well.

We're starting to get some nice weather in Brooklyn, so that's making my heart sing. And baseball is officially underway, so that doesn't hurt either. Annnnnnnndddd, we're that much closer to the National, which is still my favorite few days of the year.

Anywho, I thought I'd post another one that I finished semi-recently:


Donie Bush, 1912, 9" x 12"

I think if you've ever spoken to me or taken a thorough look at the stuff I've done in the last 15 years, you probably know that I love me some Conlon. The series that he did that focused on the eyes of the fellas from Murderer's Row has always been a favorite. What a lot of folks don't know if that it's a motif that he started to play around with in the early 1910s, the context of which has been studied thoroughly by our buddy Paul Reiferson.

While I did intend on painting the '27 Yankees portraits (preferably VERY large), I liked the idea of doing these older ones at a smaller scale, in kind of a less confrontational approach. It was a lot of fun to try and get Donie's freckled Irish skin just right (which I'm hoping I did?), as it really had work in concert with those ginormous eyes. Definitely excited to do more of these as time passes--I've already started one of Chief Meyer that I'm hoping will give off some similar vibes.

Oh, and also, the folks at FOX 5 NY came by the studio a week or two ago, and put together this cool little package which aired a few times today:

https://www.fox5ny.com/video/1629013

I was honored to have them there, and really happily surprised that the segment was as long as it was! I feel like they even make me sound somewhat sane.

Anywho, thanks so much for reading, and as always, shoot me an email/PM if you have any questions, comments or critiques!

Thanks again,

Graig

said it on messenger and i'll say it again graig -- the rendering of emotion here is on par with the masters. another, along with that cy, that is simply superb. you've tapped into drawing the life from these deadball era photos in a way that elevates the genre of photorealism in a way that no longer (if but rarely) exists in the modern world.

looking forward to the day where your work and some of the fantastic WPA era photography + early deadball darkroom artistry is known and understood as essential and fundamental parts of the greater American art historical canon. the day is coming soon; i hope with my essay work and critical lens to foster it as well....