More fun stuff from my friend Paul, the entirely self-taught painter. He’s currently working on a series of Pittsburgh Pirate batting champs, which he’s calling “HITsburgh, PA.” This one’s devoted to the Cobra himself, Mr. Dave Parker. He was the ‘77 and ‘78 batting champ, and then enjoyed a glorious World Series victory with the Bucs at Baltimore’s expense in ‘79. Although he was nicknamed the Cobra due to his peculiar, coiled up batting stance, Paul wisely sidestepped this theme, which I imagine would smack all too readily of black velvet silkscreen territory. So he went with this Parker Brothers theme instead which is based on a game you might remember called Outwit. He especially liked that tagline, “It looks easy ’til you try it,” because it “could apply to the game, hitting a baseball, or even painting a picture.” Eat your heart out, Milton Bradley.
Paul is currently working on a Clarence “Ginger” Beaumont portrait, which will be the next addition to the series. (He’s already completed Roberto Clemente and Honus Wagner.) Next up after that is a “grandiose Fred MacMurray.” And if you’re in Austin this coming Saturday, don’t miss the self-portrait show at the Figurative Gallery (315 Congress) which will include another one of Paul’s pieces.
posted by Kim Simpson
