I have a client who has a unique 1996 Ferrari 275 GTS, V12 and he wanted a painting of the car. So I painted the Ferrari. As he had two homes he couldn’t decide which home the painting should be hung. Not to let an opportunity pass me by I suggested I just paint another one for the other home. We figured out what sizes and what angle would fit best in each location and this photo is a result of the work. He was very pleased - as I was for the commission.
Before there was a three point line there was Elgin Baylor. Before there was Michael Jordan there was Elgin Baylor. Elgin was named after the Elgin Marbles because his parents knew he would be a classic. He was a mythic player rising above talents that played with him so you went to the basketball games to see him play.
Baylor’s hang time on a jump shot was like watching a guy shoot from a balloon. And the basketball’s flight was so smooth it floated to the hoop. His running bank shot was another classic launching other balloons that would float over bigger defenders. Because of his height (6 feet 5 inches) he was considered an undersized rebounder. Undersized? That is like saying Magic Johnson is undersized, maybe standing next to "Shaq" O'Neal. As a “small forward” Baylor averaged 13.5 rebounds per game during his career, including 19.8 rebounds per game. during the 1960–61 season — a season average exceeded by only five other players in NBA history, all of whom were 6 ft 8 in or taller. (Thank you Wikipedia) Those are “giant” numbers.
As a boy the NBA was still just starting to get attention to the general sports fan. My dad took me to a lot of baseball games (Minor league as the Dodgers had not arrived in LA yet) and football. The Rams was the major sporting event to watch. It wasn’t until the 1960-61 season that the Lakers showed up in LA When Baylor set a new NBA scoring record when he scored 71 points in the 1960–61season it was time for my dad and me to start paying attention to the NBA.
When you read this and see my painting of the basketball player holding the ball, the NCAA’s March Madness may have already passed. Is there or was there a fairy tale story in this March Madness? Who goes down, or went down the crazy rabbit hole with the March Hare, runs with the mad hatter and comes out winning in wonderland. The covid pandemic may have come and gone the way of other viruses or college teams. A great college team comes along, stays together and sweeps everything. And then goes into the doldrums.
An NCAA team we have not heard from much in these last few years is UCLA. Of course my all time favorite team (because I am from LA) is the Bruins under the great coaching leadership of John Wooden. And, of course their run through the NCAA’s March Madness is legendary. From 1963-75 the UCLA Bruins had an overall record of 335-22 (93.8 winning percentage); 10 national championships and four undefeated seasons. That’s as good as it gets. How good were they? They had an 88-game winning streak, but what a lot of people don’t know is that the Bruins went 205-5 (97.6 percent) during one seven year run.
On a personal level putting those numbers into perspective is daunting. I’m an artist and I paint a lot. I used to say, “A painting a day keeps the creditors away” Comparing those percentage points, let’s say that I paint 200 paintings - then only 5 of them would be bad. If I was a baseball player I’d be batting .970. That is outrageous. When I am on a streak, as a painter I can paint three good ones out of ten. I would be three for ten - batting .300. That’s if I am really lucky. Like a lot college basketball teams I just go along and have some good seasons and some great seasons. Occasionally, not so good.
The March Madness tournament is always like entering “ Through the Looking Glass” because you never know what you are going to see. Are the players going to play as if they trained with a skillful coach or are they going to act as if trained by a Hookah-Smoking Caterpillar. That is what makes watching a college basketball tournament so exciting. They beat the pros for enthusiasm every time.
A highly ranked team pulls a “humpty-dumpty” and gets knocked off. With every turn on the scoreboard the college basketball world gets stunned when a favorite loses and we watch the merriment of the underdog. There is nothing more exciting than a true buzzer-beater. That’s what great about watching the NCAA March Madness tournament – anything can happen an this year is no different than any other in that respect.
The March Madness basketball painting by sports artist John Robertson is 54" x 72" acrylic on unstretched canvas
Measure of a Man
It really makes no difference what you do, there is always a place for you to play sports - not just watch it. In this case the basketball painting is a guy that just wants to play the game.
He goes out on the weekends or maybe a night pickup game at the gym and blazes away with all cylinders firing, the engine cranking up the revs. There is a guaranteed warranty on this guy that he is good for the whole game. He doesn’t come into the gym cleverly disguised as a poser in a NBA outfit. He comes dressed to play. He is going to run and block and try his best to to clock up the shots.
Nobody comes to the gym to see him play. It’s about playing the game as best he can with no apologies for when he loses. And when he wins there is no fist bump or some fancy dance - but you can bet he has respect for the game. He has pride in his work ethic. He’s an original - with a player infused with dignity.
This sports art basketball painting is approximately 4 feet by 8 feet, acrylic on unstretched canvas.
We had an art show opening at Vita Gallery in Ventura last Sat night. These are a few of my impressionism paintings on display. They let a dozen people in at a time for 45 min over the afternoon and early evening. All spots booked for the opening of "Viewing Ventura". Twelve artists have created pieces representing Ventura in Southern California. The show is available for viewing until Jan 14, 2021 .
The area around Ventura, Ca has plenty of agriculture fields which is a favorite subject of mine to paint.. What I like is the vanishing line of the horizon stretched out across the farm fields. In high school I took architectural drafting for a couple of years, expecting to be a draftsman. .We had to create a number of perspective drawings.. The influence of that education haunts a lot of my landscape and seascape paintings.
My 1949 Mercury V8 car art is hanging in the new Transmission Brewing Co. The brewery is close to my studio and will be getting quite a few visits from me. A great pizza parlor is attached to the brewery. This model of Mercury was used in the James Dean movie, “Rebel Without a Cause” and is one of the classic car hotrods.
Sam Barris started customizing cars into hotrods in the 50’s and this model became known as a “lead sled. This is one of those classic hotrods I have always wanted to own. I did have a 1949 Hudson when I was in high school which is similar in design and does have that “lead Sled” look about it.
The 1949 Merc. car painting is 6 feet by 10 feet, acrylic on unstretched canvas. . If you need or want the perfect painting that will compliment your environment please drop me a note through the contact page.