I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.— Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken
When you look around the world of art, you see a lot of landscapes, a ton of still lifes, portraits galore, and more abstract images than you can shake a stick at (that is if you are the sort to shake sticks at abstract artworks…which, to me, seems odd, but who am I to judge?). You also sometimes see works of sports celebrities and events…overwhelming those would be male sport celebrities and events. One subject class that hasn’t exactly glutted the market has been women’s athletes and athletics. Since I’m the sort who has always tried to beat down my own paths instead of traveling the roads more traveled, I’m comfortable in trying to find my place in this niche.
Women’s sports has been a passion of mine since the late 60s (1967, to be precise, during the run-up to the Olympic Summer Games in Mexico City in 1968). Female athletes and teams were my main focus when I was a sports photographer in the ’80s. I’ve also been an activist in trying to change the male-dominated status quo in this arena for much of my adult life. I have a difficult time saying that I’m just a fan. It’s been much more than that to me. Perhaps “passion” isn’t a strong enough word, but it’s about as platonic a one as is available.
Despite my interest and passion, my love of women’s sports has also been very frustrating. Across the board, the quality of athletic performance constantly increases, just as you’d expect, but the indifference and vitriol not just from trolls but also the media over the decades, which is largely born of misogynism, has been difficult to fight since the practitioners take so much glee with sowing foment. Progress has been a slow-but-steady twenty steps forward, nineteen steps back marathon. As frustrating as that is, it steels my resolve to continue to express my fandom and promote women’s sports. Being an artist, I have to honestly express my experience to others to try and get them to see what I see.
Regarding that expression — growing up, my artistic influences were (in order): Leonardo da Vinci, Peter Max, and LeRoy Neiman. In my little artist’s heart, I’m first and foremost a devotee of realism — especially of the sort common in the Renaissance. But I’m also a product of my youthful environment and that included the bright pop-art illustrations of Peter Max and later the iconic impressionist style of Neiman — whose works also enthused about sports with bold colors and strokes.
Since nothing can happen if I don’t have examples of work to show, my primary focus right now is building up my portfolio with women’s sports artwork, especially (but not necessarily exclusively) done in the style featured in the boxer painting below. I want to honor both my influences and my passion. As best as I can, I want to both promote the sports and athletes who have never failed to inspire me as well as make works that I can take pride in without reservation.
Unfortunately, I am limited in what I can currently do since the subjects and images are generally rights restricted in various ways. Getting permission is not usually simple, often costly, and commonly comes attached with a quire or more of legaleze-covered paper. Most recorded events are protected from the start (that disclaimer you always hear during games). The more famous athletes also have protections due to the value of their celebrity. While some courts have issued rulings that give artists some leeway regarding “fair use”, these aren’t consistent or unambiguously applicable nationally and are subject to the whims of any given judge or panel.
In short — it’s minefield. A potentially expensive, if not ruinous, minefield. How’s a well-meaning artist supposed to eek out a living?
One thing that is permitted is practice. I can make as many artworks as I like just so long as they are only owned by me. While I can’t even give them away, I can use them in my portfolio. I can also make artworks of self-produced scenarios that don’t actually exist — though, given the very repetitive nature of sports images (remember, I was a photographer; I know) it’s difficult to actually do that and still get an exciting image. This is mostly what I’m doing when I talk about doing a lot of studies.
I could also take my own photos, but most of my pro gear is long since gone. Also, I’m not exactly a young and energetic photographer anymore. And (because I looked into it), the legal hoops are considerably hoopier and legal-ier than back in the day. Yikes. (Also, my experience was that some institutions, much larger and richer than the photog, at times think little about stealing your work and daring you to sue. Hardly incentive to re-enter the fray.)
So, what’s my goal with all of this?
I’d like to make a living with primarily painting women’s sports pictures, shifting my time from other, less compelling, though more easily sold subjects. Whether it’s material for the various leagues or national teams, rights-granted images for sale, portraits for athletes, or whatever, I am ultimately trying to make money doing this, after all. Short term, it involves having the ability to gain applicable rights and/or access so I can make and sell artworks based on source material I find visually interesting enough to share and marketable enough to sell to an audience. This can mean anything from court or field access to snap my own photos with my wholly inadequate equipment (not my first choice), to getting commissions by leagues/sponsors/athletes using references secured by them, and just about any stop in between.
Failing that, I want to make paintings that I’m proud of about subjects that give joy to my soul…even if they are only for me. That’s really what art is supposed to be about now that we live in an age when photography takes care of the simple reportage aspect. For the very short term, I’m OK with once again building up my rep in this arena.
Over the years I’ve known a lot of athletes (the split is about 70/30 female/male): famous pros, Olympians, hall of famers, benchwarmers, kids trying to beat their personal best in their first real competition, and more. And I was, for an instant, an athlete myself. The most important lesson I’ve gleaned from that collective experience, a lesson that is so applicable to life, is this:
Never be afraid to fail. Only be afraid not to try when you might succeed…and even when you probably won’t.
And also this quote from the seldom remembered early-80s film (decidedly the early, pre-metoo, R-rated 80s) …All the Marbles when a manager addresses his two female wrestlers with an idea that continues to fuel my unwavering support of women’s sports:
Win or lose, I love you both…but we’ve come too far to lose.