On the easel...

[GKreindler]

Wow, thank you so much for all of the kind words, everybody. Really. I'm super pleased with this response to Van Haltren!! It may sound a little weird, but I'm really glad I'm able to bring someone like him out of the cobwebs of history. Apparently, he was really some kind of player - a borderline Hall of Famer, even.

Mark, players back then really did have a different look to them. You can just tell that they lived hard lives. I guess back then, baseball, though seemingly a kind of circus act and off the beaten path of life, really was an escape from the mines and mills that still littered the country. Someone like Van Haltren came from the old school, where I guess things really were pretty wild and maybe even a bit less organized. Though, regardless, it's amazing to think that George was hobnobbing with people like Amos Rusie, John Montgomery Ward, and Cap Anson. And they were his contemporaries!!

Mike, I really hope something is in the works regarding a book. My agent sometimes keeps quiet about that sort of stuff, mainly because he knows that I can get overexcited pretty easily, and when stuff happens to fall through (which does indeed happen), I get pretty upset. I guess sometimes it's tougher for me to take things in stride. Either way, Jurinko's first book was pretty awesome. I would kill to have as much work done as him - that's a whole lifetime there! I haven't purchased his second book yet. And no worries on the typo - I get it all the time!

Lance, I think that the softness in the background is pretty common for portraits, especially of that era. And then again, it all really depends on the photographer. Someone like George Burke carried that sort of technique on for the rest of his career, and boy did he really push it. And I guess with someone like Bain, you're getting a bit more information and detail in the back. I guess it kinda depends on the image, but I'll try to adjust things according in a painting, sometimes adding a tiny bit of dimension to things, or touches of atmosphere here and there. If nothing else, it adds a bit of interest to a background that's as plain as the one in the Van Haltren image. With something like a portrait, I definitely like pushing that juxtaposition too, as there isn't a heck of a lot of room for showing a great depth of field.

Scott, I'm glad to say I know you too! I just wish we could have really chatted in Baltimore. Do you have any plans of making it out to Chicago?

Jason, thanks so much!!! That orange-like yellowish touch coming from the left was the most fun to play with, especially when I tried to get it touching off on his skin and jersey.

Thanks again, everybody.

Graig