On the easel...

[icollectDCsports]

Originally Posted by GKreindler

Figured this might be a decent time to post one of my latest:

Satchel Paige, September 8, 1941, 36" x 46"

I really enjoyed painting this, even though it was a BIG challenge finding a decent quality image to work off of. The photo has been in circulation forever, and is one of my favorites of him with the Monarchs; however the quality was always a bit suspect in spots, as well as being heavily cropped. I was able to procure a reaaalllyy nice scan from the original Detroit News negative, and it made SUCH a difference in how I approached it. Especially since in the version most of us have seen, you're not getting much of that ballpark in the background--just the wall behind Paige and a bit of the dugout step.

So, pictured is the great Satchel Paige at Briggs Stadium in early September of 1941. Reason being, there was to be a big doubleheader between the Monarchs and the Chicago American Giants a week later, and the hope was to generate some interest in the event. Having ol' Satch pitch was bound to do that--they were expecting close to 50,000 for the games. This afternoon, there were a number of photographs taken of him, whether it was in sitting at rest, standing on the mound or even pantomiming his throw. Personally, I just loved the idea of showcasing those long and skinny legs, as well as presenting that colorful uniform in all of its glory.

Fantastic! All of it is great but I continue to be amazed by how well you portray the textures and contours of the various fabrics.

[ruth-gehrig]

Originally Posted by icollectDCsports

Fantastic! All of it is great but I continue to be amazed by how well you portray the textures and contours of the various fabrics.

Amazing! I could look at this painting for days in amazement. Look at the detail of the end of the piece of wood above shoulder. The age rings are so real and detailed

[Jay Wolt]

Graig that Satch is amazing

[perezfan]

That Paige is so good, it's hypnotizing.

I am all out of adjectives worthy of describing it!

[tulsaboy]

Wow! What a beautiful painting of a seminal player in our national pastime. Thanks for doing what you do. It's really amazing to see your work.
kevin

[GKreindler]

Thank you so much for all of the super kind words, everybody!! I really appreciate all of you taking the time the make them.

Hope you're all having a nice Memorial Day weekend. I'm doing my best to get some work done while the kids are home, but since it's going to be pretty nice out here in Brooklyn, I imagine it's going to be a losing effort on my part. So I guess the main objective seems to be to not beat myself up over it!

Anywho, I thought I'd post a painting I finished a little while back, one with subject matter that I guess is a bit less common to see on the boards:


Dorothy Kamenshek, 1947, 24" x 18"

I've always had a fascination with the AAGPBL, and like so many of us, it was sparked by Penny Marshall's A League of Their Own. For those who don't know, the depicted subject matter, "Kammie", was pretty much the face of the Rockford Peaches. She was a seven-time All-Star and a two-time batting champion. I believe she is still the all-time leader in hits and total bases for the league, too. In other words, she kicked @$$.

The main issue I had with this painting was all in its beginning stages--just finding the imagery to work off of to make it happen was the biggest challenge. The AAGPBL, though obviously popular in the midwest, wasn't as well documented visually as their male counterparts. Finding un-posed shots, be it during a game or during practice, is still to this day no easy feat. I luckily have a few friends in the space who mainly collect stuff from those leagues (as well as other women's teams), and they were more than willing to share some of their pieces with me. This candid snapshot of her was probably my favorite of the entire batch. I've always loved the motif of ballplayers with children, and when you add the fact that here it's a young girl getting the autograph, it makes it even more powerful (in my eyes). And then that red of her hat and the AAGPBL jacket draped over her arm--it's a winning combination.

They're outside of the visiting team's dressing room at Beyer Stadium in Rockford, and if you look closely, you can even catch some graffiti on the gray bricks. 1947 wasn't necessarily a great year for Rockford, as they finished in 6th place, but they bounced back to win the League Championship for three straight years from '48 to '50.

As always, if y'all have any questions, comments are critiques, fire away!!

Thanks for reading and enjoy yourselves today!

Graig

[ruth-gehrig]

Breathtaking spectacular as always!!!

[frankbmd]

A graphite autograph - interesting

[btcarfagno]

Originally Posted by GKreindler

Thank you so much for all of the super kind words, everybody!! I really appreciate all of you taking the time the make them.

Hope you're all having a nice Memorial Day weekend. I'm doing my best to get some work done while the kids are home, but since it's going to be pretty nice out here in Brooklyn, I imagine it's going to be a losing effort on my part. So I guess the main objective seems to be to not beat myself up over it!

Anywho, I thought I'd post a painting I finished a little while back, one with subject matter that I guess is a bit less common to see on the boards:


Dorothy Kamenshek, 1947, 24" x 18"

I've always had a fascination with the AAGPBL, and like so many of us, it was sparked by Penny Marshall's A League of Their Own. For those who don't know, the depicted subject matter, "Kammie", was pretty much the face of the Rockford Peaches. She was a seven-time All-Star and a two-time batting champion. I believe she is still the all-time leader in hits and total bases for the league, too. In other words, she kicked @$$.

The main issue I had with this painting was all in its beginning stages--just finding the imagery to work off of to make it happen was the biggest challenge. The AAGPBL, though obviously popular in the midwest, wasn't as well documented visually as their male counterparts. Finding un-posed shots, be it during a game or during practice, is still to this day no easy feat. I luckily have a few friends in the space who mainly collect stuff from those leagues (as well as other women's teams), and they were more than willing to share some of their pieces with me. This candid snapshot of her was probably my favorite of the entire batch. I've always loved the motif of ballplayers with children, and when you add the fact that here it's a young girl getting the autograph, it makes it even more powerful (in my eyes). And then that red of her hat and the AAGPBL jacket draped over her arm--it's a winning combination.

They're outside of the visiting team's dressing room at Beyer Stadium in Rockford, and if you look closely, you can even catch some graffiti on the gray bricks. 1947 wasn't necessarily a great year for Rockford, as they finished in 6th place, but they bounced back to win the League Championship for three straight years from '48 to '50.

As always, if y'all have any questions, comments are critiques, fire away!!

Thanks for reading and enjoy yourselves today!

Graig

Graig,

As a collector of women in baseball items and the father of three girls, this image quite literally captures the very essence of why I collect what I do. Have to admit that I teared up a bit seeing this. Indescribably wonderful.

[GKreindler]

Thanks so much for the kind words, everybody!! I really appreciate them as always, especially for the women's baseball stuff. It's subject matter that I enjoy tackling, whether it's from the AAGPBL or other teams that sported women in the early 1900s.

I figured I'd show a few more of these badasses:


Jean Faut, 1949, 18" x 18"


Dorothy Maguire Chapman, 1946, 9" x 12"

The Jean Faut image was an absolute blast to paint, especially since the original photography was of such high quality. Plus, it had that great angle from below of her looking into the distance, giving it a heroic feel. For those unfamiliar with Jean, she was one of the greatest pitchers in the history of the league. Some of her more impressive stats are pitching four no-hitters (two of which were perfect games), winning two pitching Triple Crowns; winning two Player of the Year awards; winning twenty games three times; winning two championships; and is the league's all-time leader in ERA. And believe me, there are a lot more. This painting ended up going to Jean's son.

Dorothy Maguire Chapman was no slouch either, as she was an all-star catcher on two championship teams (1943 Racine Belles, 1944 Milwaukee Chicks). Known for being tough as nails, part of her story inspired a scene in A League of Their Own, but less so anything play-related. The scene where Betty Spaghetti receives a telegram bringing news of her husband's death was partially based on Dorothy's experience--she had received a phone call before a game, informing her of the death of her husband Tom in Italy. Unlike Betty Spaghetti, she actually DID play that day. Oddly enough, he was discovered to be alive months later after a dog-tag mix-up. Like the Faut painting, this was commissioned by the ballplayer's family.

The images of both players came from a large scrapbook at the Louis Pettus Archives at Winthrop University. They have a bunch of great images in their archives that I've licensed recently in the hopes of making future paintings of these great ballplayers.

Anywho, hope y'all enjoy these!! Any comments, critiques, questions and rotten tomatos are always welcome.

Oh!! And the Satchel Paige giclée officially goes live and becomes available for purchase on Monday, July 7th! If you'd like to be added to the mailing list for more updates, fill in your info here.

Thanks, as always!!

Graig