Jackie Robinson Painting

Jackie Robinson
36" x 36"
acrylic on canvas

I RECENTLY FINISHED this painting of Jackie Robinson, the second in a series of ballplayer portraits I started painting last year. I decided to paint an image of him without a smile, since his career embodied the fight and struggle against racism where life was anything but a cake walk for him and minorities in general. It's hard to capture the true vibrancy of the colors used, but this image still does some justice to the actual painting.

Jackie Robinson Day 2009

BASEBALL HAS COME A LONG WAYS since Jackie Robinson broke it's color barrier. Tributes to baseball's most influential player have also evolved over the years, starting with all teams retiring #42, then Ken Griffey Jr. wearing his number the past few years, then more players wearing his number in subsequent years, and now all players yesterday wearing #42. A bit of a bummer that Dodger outfielder Juan Pierre, a player who intentionally sports high socks and baggy pants as a tribute to Jackie and other Negro League legends, did not take the field on this occasion.