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Season Opener

APRIL 1, 2014
I am excited to participate in this year's Season Opener, a group show at the Steamwhistle Brewery in Toronto, opening on Wednesday, April 2. The show features 30 bats customized by a diverse & talented group of illustrators and designers.

I reimagined one of the beautiful Garrison Creek handcrafted hardwood bats for the show. My piece is titled 'Moonshot'
In baseball, a moonshot is referred to as a home run that is hit a long distance at a high velocity and deep angle. Moonshots normally range in the 410–660 foot area. Home runs hit farther than that are considered moonshots, but none farther than that have been recorded (or estimated). The name "Moonshot" comes from Wally Moon. Whenever Moon would hit a home run, these home runs would be referenced in newspapers as "Moon Shots". His home runs mostly came at the L.A. Coliseum, but his home runs gained more recognition for being mostly opposite-field home runs, as he was a left-handed batter, and the fence in right field was 440 feet from home plate. (from Wikipedia)
I once saw Reggie Jackson hit the ball right out of Tiger Stadium. A Moon shot. I was also obsessed with the Apollo Missions growing up, and the shape of the bat reminded me of a rocket. So I based my design on the Saturn V rocket, the workhorse that carried the astronauts to the moon. I added stabilizing fins to the bottom of the bat and had some fun with the aesthetics.

Here's the final. I decided to screenprint the type onto the bat, I wanted to get the squarish NASA look just right. Glad it all came together.
So much hope this time of year, a new season underway and spring just around the corner. Looking forward to it all.

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