WARRIORS LEGACY: Oak->SF
The 8th release in the YaniMade series, and first multi-player work, this large, 26”x 40” chalk pastel drawing, which spanned 5 months, was an exercise in faith and endurance. Working in this delicate medium on a large scale, required lots of strategizing of order, placement, spacing and color to achieve a cohesive composition, as not to appear too busy, or bare. As the last season at Oracle drew to a close, I would show up to the Courtside VIP Kiosks to promote the initial batch of my limited edition work to the long time fans. I thought about all the historic teams that took the Coliseum home court in a Warriors uniform since the 1971 season, including those I had emotional attachments to, the Run TMC, We Believe and current championship teams. My idea was to celebrate the franchise during these Oakland years, yet knowing by the time I finished, the attempted 3 peat and Oracle Arena would be likely in the rear view mirror. So I titled it “Warriors Legacy: Oak->SF” as both a celebration of the past and present transition to the brand new Chase Center. I included a rendering of the new street pole and sign “Warriors Way”, which could be general commentary on the brilliant direction and leadership of the franchise under current ownership, and as a visual center piece. It also appears on the back of the shirt. Once the drawing/painting was done, and photographed for the limited edition fine art print and “wearable print” I took it to Lenz Arts in Santa Cruz to be custom framed over the course of two weekends, in order to preserve the work and make it shine in any gallery environment. When production is done, the limited edition pieces will be available at the Chase Center for purchase during the ‘19-’20 season, either in the Warriors VIP kiosks or the brand new Team Store. Stay tuned!……