Thursday, January 7, 2010

Switcheroo


I remember reading a quote by Maxfield Parrish in regards to wanting to paint a certain tree that he saw near a quaint building on his daily ride to town. “Because I delayed in painting the scene, the next time that I drove by the farm the tree had been cut down and turned into a pile of firewood.”

Parrish’s remark seems to suggest that when inspiration is there, take the opportunity. Well, let me give you a dilemma that I have had that might suggest delaying a bit before going to the canvas.

As several of you know, I am a rapid sports fan. Not just sitting in front of TV or sitting in bleachers, but participating in the events. My transition from being a professional baseball pitcher to a two-man softball game has taken years, but it has been and still is wonderful.

In addition, I love to paint sport scenes, and I also enjoy painting portraits of individual sport stars. Herein lays the problem. I paint the head of an athlete that I greatly admire, in the team uniform that he is currently wearing. Did you catch the caveat word, “CURRENTLY?”

Players change teams in a money musical chairs game that makes the head (brush) swim. Let me give you a few examples: Johnny Damon of the Boston Red Sox. He was a star of the Yankee hating Sox team--until more money was offered and now he is a Yankee stalwart (at this writing). Randy Johnson--went to several teams after my portrait of him in an Arizona game. Roger Clemons was all over the place, and I even have a great rendering of Shaquille O’Neill playing in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform.

Check out my sports art web page: www.halloffameart.com and see if some of the uniforms are out of date!

So what is the solution? I went to the ball field today with a Cleveland Indian shirt and a Boston Red Sox cap. An interested bystander asked me who I was for. I said that, I as a fan, will decide on who can give me the best offer