Baseball Glove Art Unboxing

Here's a glimpse of what it's typically like to receive a Painted Glove:

This unboxing video should give a pretty good example of what you or a gift recipient should expect upon delivery of a custom glove or glove from my shop.

Each Baseball Glove Artwork arrives in a well-protected shipping box. Inside of that is an archival museum storage box with metal edges.

Inside the gift box is a canvas "equipment bag" with the Sean Kane Baseball Art logo patch on the outside. The glove is on the inside!

Also included is a display stand for the glove. Depending on the glove style, the stand will either be a wooden easel or a wire stand. In this case, the museum wire stand is shown in the video.

A photo is included to show how to place artwork on the display stand.

A personalized note can be included for gift recipients. And an artwork info card or "back label" is included with title, date, contact info and care instructions.

Just let me know if you have any questions about packaging for Painted Gloves or special requests if ordering a special gift. I'm happy to accommodate requests, if possible.

Unique Retirement Gift for CEO: Executive Portrait on Vintage Baseball Glove

Corporate Portrait Commission for Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital President

When the long-time CEO of the Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood, FL retired recently, I was commissioned by the hospital to create a one-of-a-kind baseball glove painting as a special gift for him.

The neatest part of all was that the portraits painted were of the CEO and the hospital's namesake, Joe DiMaggio.

DiMaggio, the Hall of Famer and Yankees great, lent his name to the children's hospital, one of the leading pediatric hospitals in South Florida.

Preparations for Painting an Executive Portrait

The project started by receiving a snapshot of the hospital's CEO with DiMaggio from the client.

This was supplemented by researched photos, all of which were used as the basis for the portraits.

The glove used for this painting is a Joe DiMaggio signature model Spalding glove from the 1940's.

It still had a visible but light signature stamping.

I designed the painting so that DiMaggio's portrait would be above his signature.

It's actually the second time I've painted Joe DiMaggio's portrait on a vintage signature model glove.

A black and white painting of DiMaggio from his playing days was added to the design, along with hand-lettered "statistics" from the CEO's notable 30-plus years with the hospital's parent company.

Top down and side view of the portraits. A few bends in the leather to consider when placing the design on the glove.

The final painted glove was shipped in an archival museum box with a small black easel for easy display on a desk or shelf.

My client at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital said they loved the final painting and presented it in a ceremony at the hospital.

As a portrait artist, that's the reaction I strive for -- knowing that the work is appreciated and that it will have a positive impact and will hopefully be enjoyed for many years to come.

A big thanks to the team at JDCH!

If you and your organization or company are looking for unique gifts, awards or special keepsakes, just let me know. We can discuss your needs and design an unforgettable solution for your occasion or awards program.

Artist Sean Kane's painted baseball gloves in the collection of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, The National Pastime Museum and private collections across the country.  Sean was recognized as “Artist of the Month” by the National Art Museum of Sport.

Inquires about paintings and commissioning glove artworks are welcome. Please contact sean@seankane.com or telephone 519-836-5647.

Where Do You Find the Baseball Gloves?

And How I Choose Which Gloves to Paint On

"So where do you get the gloves?"

It's usually one of the first questions people have when they see a baseball glove painting.

That along with, "How do you choose which gloves to use?"

Let's answer the second question first.

My biggest aim is to choose gloves that are from the same era as the player I'm going to be painting.

It's a small way to help the painting connect us to the player. A way to get a firsthand sense of the game back then. It's a leather time machine to baseball's past. The right glove creates an instant sense of place. It gets us quickly on the path to creating an emotional connection with the art.

Keeping along that path, if the player was left-handed, I'll seek out a glove that goes on the right hand. Catcher or Firstbaseman? Let's find a mitt that fits!

I comb through old photos in my baseball library and via Google to find images of the player wearing a glove and try to identify the manufacturer and the style of the glove. This is an interesting part of the process but can take a few innings, so to speak.

For my Jackie Robinson painting, for instance, I found a 1940s Spalding glove that looked similar to one in the Hall of Fame said to have been used by Robinson.

Once I've got a grip on the era and style, I dig into my sources to find the gloves I'm after.

This is when prayers are made to the glove gods and fingers are crossed.

I find them via antique dealers, at sports memorabilia shows, on ebay and at various secondhand shops.

My top sources for the best gloves are antiques dealers who usually trade in all sorts of vintage sporting goods, uniforms, balls, helmets, bats, you name it. Some of them supply Hollywood when sports movies are made. I've had the good pleasure of meeting a couple of them. And they know what I'm looking for.

I do have some criteria when I'm scouting out gloves.

1. I prefer to stay away from gloves that are inherently collectible on their own. There is a great big passionate group of vintage glove collectors out there. Plenty for me to paint on without treading on their ground.

I don't need immaculate baseball gloves. They're great when I find them. But the ones with dry leather from years of neglect are often perfect. Un-oiled leather accepts paint very well and makes for a great painting surface.

2. Of course, I need to find gloves that have a bit of space for a portrait. 1940s Split-finger gloves (no leather connecting the tops of the fingers) and some post 1950 fielders gloves are probably my favorites.  And Firstbase mitts and catchers mitts typically provide lots of uninterrupted painting places. The mitt for my Hank Greenberg painting nearly designed itself, giving a wonderful almost framed area on the back to portray him taking a big swing.

Come the 1960s, stitching is all over the place on gloves and tougher to find adequate spots for the design. But then necessity can drive the creativity. Lack of space is one reason why I started painting across multiple fingers on gloves, like on my painting of Willie Mays.

3. Signature model gloves can cause identity crisis. Wouldn't want to paint a Roberto Clemente portrait on a Tony Oliva signature model glove, for instance.

Lots of times, older gloves are so worn that even when it had a signature stamped on it, the stamping is barely visible. I can use these usually.

Other times, when the planets line up and I find a beautiful glove that is actually a signature model of the player I'm going to paint, shouts of joy can be heard in the studio.

4. Size of gloves can be an issue. Lots of gloves out there that were made for kids. Many gloves from the 30s or 40s that I get seem small for an adult by today's standards, even though I don't believe they were initially intended for kids. Styles change, equipment advances, and the default setting in the studio is to go with what looks best.

5. Flat gloves are much easier to paint on that folded gloves. But once we get into 1960s and more recent gloves, except for catchers mitts, folded gloves or deep pocket gloves are the norm. A bit more challenging for the artist but can result with some fun paintings.

6. Pricing is all over the map on used gloves, depending on who is selling, signature model, condition, etc. I strive to keep the expense to less than $100. Worth every penny when they are the right fit, so to speak.

Selecting split finger gloves and catchers mitts at memorabilia show.

After all that sometimes there are still duds.

It's not uncommon to purchase a glove and realize it just won't work after all. Cracked leather, a big name written on by an earlier owner, or much too fragile. Or just ugly.

Finally, sometimes a collector sends me their glove to use for a special painting.

It's an honor to be trusted with a personal item such as a baseball glove. I've been sent a glove with Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr's signature on it (although, ironically, I was not painting him on it).  I don't take this responsibility lightly and am very careful with collectors' gloves in my possession.

When it's all said and done, it can often take a bit of hunting to research and find the right glove, but that can be half the fun.

The gloves that I get to know so well while painting are special pieces of craftsmanship themselves, with lifetimes worth of stories attached to them. (The history of baseball gloves and their manufacturing fills many books.)

It's a great feeling to give vintage gloves a new life, a starring role in a new artwork and a new story.