Wingtips & Practice, Practice, Practice

PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE by Steven Anthony Salerno -available at SASgolf.com

WINGTIPS by Steven Anthony Salerno -available at SASgolf.com

This week I offered two more limited edition prints on my golf gallery site, SASgolf.com -both being fun, pop graphic images. The first print, entitled WINGTIPS is a boldly drawn close-up view of a player wearing bright blue wingtip golf shoes stroking a putt, that hopefully ends with the ball successfully in the bottom of the cup! The second print, entitled PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE is a simple graphic depiction of some golfers all in a row at the driving range, in various stages of their swings beating balls... with the definition of the word practice embedded within the art image.


These two prints can be seen in the golf graphix gallery section of SASgolf.com and are both available in two different print sizes, 11x17 and 13x19.

2012 US Women's Open Championship at Blackwolf Run

full view of "Mercy"   visit sasgolf.com

detail view of "Mercy"   visit sasgolf.com

In February of this year I was contacted by Whistling Straits's GM/Director of Golf, Jim Richerson. As you know, Whistling Straits (in Kohler, Wisconsin) hosted the 2010 PGA Championship, won by Germany's Martin Kaymer in a play-off. 

Jim discussed with me the fact that the 2012 US Women's Open Championship (conducted by the USGA) will be hosted at Blackwolf Run, which is the 36 hole sister complex next to Whistling Straits, and also part of The American Club Resort, owned by the Kohler Company. Blackwolf Run has two courses: the Meadow Valleys Course and the River Course, though, the 2012 US Women's Open Championship will be played on "The Original Championship Course," which is comprised of select holes from both the Meadow Valleys Course and the River Course. Jim explained that their committee was looking for a golf artist to create golf art images for the upcoming championship event, and I was on their short list along with a couple other artists. He asked if I would submit a bid proposal...

So, I put together my fee proposal, containing not only my suggestions for what art images to create, and for what specific uses (e.g. event poster, limited edition prints, merchandise items, etc...), but I also included numerous samples of my limited edition golf prints. The added touch to the proposal was that I specially created two new "golfscape" drawings depicting a couple holes from their Meadow Valleys Course... holes which will be part of the "Original Championship Course" the women competitors will compete on in 2012.

Posted here is print of a drawing I created of their 15th hole, a par three which is named "Mercy." It was created with crayon and pastel and added digital color. (posted is the full view and a detail).

There has not been a decision yet on which artist they will select... so I am hoping it was fall my way. It would be a fun project to be associated with.

When Woods Were Really Wood

"The Match" is available as a limited edition print at sasgolf.com

"The Match" is available as a limited edition print at sasgolf.com

Recently I was using a chunky oil crayon doodling on some discarded printing paper, and quickly drew a golfer with a straw hat swinging a club, poised at his finish. Just a simple line drawing -a glorified doodle really, culled from my memory of golf swings and combined with my ability to draw the human figure without needing a model or a photo or even a preliminary sketch. It had the retro look of a player from the 1940's (using a persimmon wood, of course!) I really liked the rough line quality of the thick crayon because it disallowed me from fussing with any detail, which forces the essential gesture to describe the form. 

So, then I did another quick crayon drawing of a caddie, complete with knickers and holding a canvas golf bag, followed by another player (leaning on his club and puffing on a cigarette), and second young caddie. These drawings were done on separate scraps of paper, so I scanned them all into Photoshop and arranged them all together into a scene such that it looked like one player and the two caddies were watching the other player play his shot. Then I took a previous rectangular color field I had painted on paper with green gouache, executed with rough, loose, brushstrokes and scanned that into Photoshop, too. I placed the green color field painting behind the layer with the line drawings of the players and caddies, then further modified it by bringing in additional shapes I created to make the bunkers and the smaller pine trees in the distance, including the flagstick. Using a digital "fuzzy" paintbrush tool, I painted the skin tone and clothing color of the characters on another Photoshop layer between the existing layers. Of course, there is a lot of subtle adjustments of the colors, and even alterations of the drawings, too. 

I did a test print of the image on watercolor paper and felt it was very nice, but too barren feeling. It needed more context. Next, I went back to the chunky oil crayon and drew two big, simple, pines trees, effectively to frame the characters. The story I was telling myself at that point was that these two players were vying for the 1948 club championship, in the final match. At that point I knew I had to add in some interested club members following the action! I scanned the drawings of the two big pine trees as well as my additional drawings of spectator characters and brought them into the final scene. Wanting to keep the image as simple as possible, I colored the big trees and the spectators all the same color blue, as if in a cool blue shadow, thus allowing the brighter players dressed in white to visually dominate the scene.

Posted here is the full view of the final image... and a detail of one of the players so you can see the rough line quality of the oil crayon which was used to create the figures. Some images/paintings I create take weeks to finalize... in this case, because it was based on using quick "sketches" as the final imagery, and the fact that I fabricated the image in an impromptu manner on the fly, making it up as I went along, it took very little time at all. It is fun to create this kind of "spontaneous" image on the heels of having spent tons of time on a more elaborate, formal images. It helps to regain some balance.

This print is available in a limited edition in the "match play" gallery on sasgolf.com

" 9/64" Measurement of a Golfer

visit sasgolf.com to view this golf art print and many others...

"9/64" -the numbers seen within the art print of golfing legend Ben Hogan is not a mysterious measurement nor a mathematical fraction... it is his professional golfing career record: 9 major championships and 64 PGA Tour victories. The most impressive detail of Mr. Hogan's history is he survived a near-fatal automobile accident at age 36 and afterwards went on to win 6 more major championships. (you may have to click on the image above to see the full composition)


This new golf art print from artist Steven Anthony Salerno is now available at sasgolf.com in the "exclusive edition" gallery. The original art was created with crayon, pastel, and gouache on paper with digital wood grain effects. Only 50 of these superbly reproduced golf art prints are available (17"x22" size) in the limited edition. Printed in the artist's studio using brilliant permanent pigment inks on archival 100% cotton rag based fine art papers, visit sasgolf.com to learn more about these limited edition prints. 

Tiger in 2011... Q: Can He Attain Major #15?

(click on image to see full size)        Visit sasgolf.com to view limited edition golf prints by artist Steven Anthony Salerno

Short answer: Yes.

In 2011 Tiger is set to add yet another major championship to his current list of 14 major titles. Of course, now there are several new top competitors on the scene with the ability to nab a major, so from this point forward getting into the major winner's circle again is going to be an even more difficult task for the man in red, but he will get it done. I don't think we will see Tiger winning majors by quite such large margins as he has done in the past. Those days are gone, but it only takes one less stroke than the closest competitor in a championship to attain the victory anyway, so what does it really matter what the winning margin might be?

The other top contenders don't have what Tiger does, which is the momentum of being on a powerful inside track to break the Jack Nicklaus record of 18 majors. Tiger is still the ONE, and it's an advantage. Some may argue that Tiger's momentum has been stripped away due to his personal upheaval over the past year. This momentum has merely skipped a beat. It's still there, and well in tact.

People want Tiger to win more major championships. They want to see him rise up, and be the one who surpasses a seemingly unattainable record. With a fresh current of energy from the golfing public helping to once again propel Tiger forward, combined with the fact he is in the prime of his golfing powers including immense experience to draw upon, getting into the major winner's circle again (and again) is inevitable.

My artwork posted here originally appeared in the Player Spotlight feature section on pgatour.com, the official web site of the PGA Tour, and depicts Tiger in his putting pose. Since showing his Sunday red shirt alone visually informs the viewer that it is Tiger Woods, I purposely did not even show his face, to push the minimalist effect of the composition. To the side are his current stats: 14 majors and 71 tournament victories, which has remained the same over the past year since he did not get a win in 2010. (you may have to click on the above art image to see the full composition)

Look for those stats to tick upward in 2011...

Visit my on-line golf gallery at sasgolf.com, where you can purchase signed, limited edition golf art prints.

Interview with golf artist Steven Anthony Salerno

I was recently interviewed via Skype by golf blogger Ralph Perez in New York City. Here is the link to that interview on gothamgolfblog
...and my golf art also got a mention on the armchairgolfblog, thanks to the editor Neil Sagebiel. You can see the brief article here.

Seve Ballesteros -a new golf art print available on sasgolf.com

see more golf prints at sasgolf.com

see more golf prints at sasgolf.com

(5/7/2011)

Note: Seve Ballesteros died on May 7th, 2011, from ongoing complications due to brain cancer surgeries he underwent back in 2009)

. . .

I recently completed a small gouache painting on paper of one of my favorite players of all time to watch play the game, Seve Ballesteros of Spain. It is available on my gallery site, sasgolf.com as a limited edition print. 

Severiano “Seve” Ballesteros of Spain, with 87 wins worldwide, including 5 major championship victories (2 Masters and 3 British Open Championships) is one of the most bold, and charismatic players to have ever graced championship golf. From humble beginnings as a boy in the town of Santander practicing hitting shots along the sandy beaches, to being inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1997... as well as surviving brain tumor surgery in 2009 at age 52, the golfer and the man is admired by millions of fans all around the world.

The image was created using red as the dominant color theme, to represent his passion and strength exhibited on and off the course. It was executed using brush and gouache on paper, and added digital enhancements.