His Last at Bat Oil on canvas 8 x 10

   This is a gift for a good friend and his wife who are great fans of Stan the Man Musial. This hall of famer represented the epitome of class and grace among professional athletes. During his long career he remained a St Louis Cardinal and was never thrown out of a game. When he retired in 1963 he held 17 major league and 29 National League and 9 All-Star Game records. Imagine an athlete after a bad season  returning some of his salary-despite it not being part of his contract! Stan the Man did and as such represents the ideal. This painting is a tribute to him, to his family, and the professionalism in sports that is a generations past. It is taken from a black and white photograph of his last at bat-he singled there. There is the tension between Stan poised to hit, the catcher awaiting the ball and the umpire in position to make the call. The blurred edges lend to a sense of movement. The colors those of a autumn day.