Baseball Nation Interviews Dick Perez

[RickD]

Dick Perez was the artist behind the Donruss Diamond Kings Series and currently is involved
in the Topps Allen and Ginter Series and is the official artist of the Baseball Hall of Fame,
Perez-Steele Galleries and the Philadelphia Phillies.

Thank you for agreeing to this interview for the members of Baseball Nation.

Q: Baseball Nation - I assume you use photos to make your paintings. Do you make these photos yourself?

A: Dick Perez - The nature of my subject matter creates a dependency on the use of photographs. Many of the athletes I paint are either dead or past their prime. Current players are not going to sit for a painting, and action scenes need frozen photo images. Good scrap material is essential to my work. I have a massive collection of images I have garnered over the years that covers the game from baseball origins to modern times. The sources for these images are vintage magazines, photo collections I have purchased, MLB, the Baseball Hall of Fame, hundreds of baseball and sports books that I own, the public library, and, of course the internet. The collection number in the thousands, and the majority of the photos in that collection are scanned and saved on my computers.

In the case of current players, sometimes I take my own photos,, hire a photographer to take them, or they are provided by teams, card companies, and various institutions.

Q: Baseball Nation - How have the players you painted over the years responded to your artwork? Did anyone not like your portrayal of them?

A: Dick Perez - For the most part I get very little feedback from players. Joe DiMaggio did not like my portrayal of his swing, Bob Feller complained about the uniform number I used in a painting I did of him, but other than that I get the usual, "nice painting" when the player is present at an exhibit or presentation. To players a painting of them is just another image to promote the game, themselves, for use by card companies, or to appear on program covers. Their focus is on succeeding at baseball, not art appreciation. Their attention is on the likeness, not technique, use of color, tonal values, etc. My reward comes from the reaction from fans of the game who really appreciate my work and spend hard earned money to own it. However, I did get a great note from the late Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg about a painting I did of him, which I feature on the last page of my new book "The Immortals".

(Speaking of his new book, please check out this link with more info about this amazing book: Dick Perez Immortals)

Q: Baseball Nation - You started working for the Phillies in 1972 as the Team's Official Artist. How did that come about?

A: Dick Perez - A client/friend was hired by the Philadelphia Eagles. He commissioned me to design the team yearbooks, brochures, and create illustrations. The Phillies who shared the same stadium, and were looking for someone to do the same for them, saw my work and recruited me to do their graphic design, write ad copy, design their yearbooks and brochures, and provide illustrations for posters, prints and covers. It was a case of being at the right place at the right time, and once again proving the old principle that timing is everything.

Q: Baseball Nation - What was it like to be involved with the Hall of Fame?

A: Dick Perez - Obviously, one of the best periods of my life. I got to meet the greatest players of all time, become involved in rewarding projects. and gain a great amount of success and notoriety.

Q: Baseball Nation - How did you get involved with Donruss?

A: Dick Perez - When Donruss entered the baseball trading card market in 1981 they were looking for a way of distinguishing themselves from the rest of the field in their second year. New York Daily News sportswriter, a collector of Perez-Steele Hall of Fame art cards, and writer for the back of the Donruss cards at the time, suggested they talk to us about ideas. I had always wanted to bring back art to baseball cards, they loved the idea, and the rest is history.

Q: Baseball Nation - When you first produced art for the "Diamond Kings" series for Donruss, did you think it would be as successful of a series as it was?

A: Dick Perez - I knew I was creating something new and different from what was being done at the time, but I had no idea how far-reaching it would be. I really got no big feedback from card buyers at the time, most of them being young people. It is only now that these young people have grown up, have the use of email, Facebook, and internet activity, that I have come to realize how popular the Diamond Kings were and the place they hold in the baseball card collector industry.

Q: Baseball Nation - Now you are involved with Topps. How did that come about?

A: Dick Perez - A Topps representative got in touch with me to see if I was interested and available. To me Topps is the baseball trading card company with a real legacy, and I was flattered to be asked. I sat down with members of the company in New York, and we struck a deal. They are great people.

Q: Baseball Nation - What kind of response do you get from baseball card collectors?

A: Dick Perez - Fan expression of appreciation of my work is humbling and fulfilling. They do this through emails, in-person comments, and a great amount of regular mail. But making art is hard. Maintaining the quality I expect for my work, and exploring new methods and ways of making art keeps me grounded.

Q: Baseball Nation - What advice do you have for up-and-coming artists of any type today?

A: Dick Perez- If I were not doing sport art, but was still painting successfully in other genres I would still be truly happy. I get a lot of mail from aspiring artists who want to know how to become sport artists. My advice to them is to harness their passion toward becoming an accomplished artist, period. Baseball is just a subject to paint. I did not start out as a painter of baseball. I just wanted to make art, no matter what the subject. It is hard enough to make living as an artist, let alone as an artist of a singular genre. The greatest advice I can give, besides to draw all of the time, is to study the masters of the past and observe how they handled color, shadows, light, and tonal values. How they solved the problems of composition and perspective. They are my greatest teachers. These examples are at museums, books and on the internet.

Q: Baseball Nation - What are the advantages and disadvantages of the internet today on art?

A: Dick Perez- The advantages are many for those involved in image making. The internet is a great source for research, information, reference material, and images of paintings from just about every great artist that ever lived.

The internet is a great resource for art sites, and a way to display and sell your art.The only disadvantage I can think of is that internet is very seductive, taking away precious time from you easel. So, less time on the internet and more time at your easel.

Thank you again sir. We appreciate you taking the time to do this.

[yankeebiscuitfan]

Very nice interview. I have never heard of thr fellow. But his answers are completely the opposite of those in Mr.Baseball's interview.

[RickD]

Anyone who takes time out of their schedule is a-ok in my book.

[yankeebiscuitfan]

Absolutely, especially with extensive answers like his.

[TTMCentral]

WOW, I never knew that he did the Donruss Cards

[wcs71401]

Nice interview. It is nice to see people taking enough time to really think about their answers.

[Old Sweater]

Good interview. I never heard of him either since I don't collect cards. Nice that he brought art back into baseball.

[RickD]

Thanks Guys.

I love educating the masses!

J/K but I am glad he agreed to the interview and that those of you not familiar with his work could become better acquainted.

[Mattrd26]

Awesome! how do you get in contact with these guys?

[RickD]

Research, hunting around for contact info and researching the heck out of the individuals to make sure I am "knowledgeable" enough to chat with them.