Making The Book
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Award-winning artist and author, Kadir Nelson, spent seven years researching, writing an oral narrative and creating handsome paintings with the intention of including them in the brilliantly illustrated tribute, “WE ARE THE SHIP: The Story of Negro League Baseball,” which is dedicated to the preservation of the history of the Negro Baseball Leagues. With a helping hand from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas city, Nelson was able track down former Negro League players, interview them and piece together original stories to help color some of Negro League baseball's forgotten past. Nelson would also travel to museums around the country, pour over old photographs, firsthand testimonies and documentaries, and collect baseball memorabilia, sports equipment and uniforms.
In order to create realistic portrayals of baseball players in action and repose, Nelson served as his own model for each painting, donning sharp suits and authentic replica uniforms while photographing himself posed as each player represented. Each painting had its own unique set of criteria and demanded individual attention to details and settings; i.e. historically accurate baseball uniform colors and styles, equipment, era costumes, pre and post Depression era city streets, streetcars and trains, sandlot baseball fields in small towns and grand baseball stadiums in big cities. This meticulous process allowed Nelson to put himself into the shoes of a former Negro League player and recreate an authentic depiction of life in the Negro Baseball Leagues. Contained herewith are photos and videos that detail Nelson's process and his seven-year journey.
In order to create realistic portrayals of baseball players in action and repose, Nelson served as his own model for each painting, donning sharp suits and authentic replica uniforms while photographing himself posed as each player represented. Each painting had its own unique set of criteria and demanded individual attention to details and settings; i.e. historically accurate baseball uniform colors and styles, equipment, era costumes, pre and post Depression era city streets, streetcars and trains, sandlot baseball fields in small towns and grand baseball stadiums in big cities. This meticulous process allowed Nelson to put himself into the shoes of a former Negro League player and recreate an authentic depiction of life in the Negro Baseball Leagues. Contained herewith are photos and videos that detail Nelson's process and his seven-year journey.
