Plein Air Painting and the Tampa Bay Rays!
October 20, 2008
As a representational artist living and working in St. Petersburg, Florida I have been inspired by the Tampa Bay Rays magical season. Living in the shadow of Tropicana Field for the last eight years I have witnessed their transformation from worst to first up close and personal. I watched the Rays toil in relative obscurity since their inaugural season. I have been to numerous games where attendance was negligible and the visiting team was the main attraction. Sometimes fans visiting from Cleveland, New York or Boston have outnumbered the Rays fans 2 to 1. For years national sports anchors didn’t even realize that the Rays played in St. Pete rather than Tampa. I’ve seen errors, base running blunders, miniscule batting averages and meager payrolls year after year all under the guise of Major League Baseball. During that time, behind the scenes, the Rays were drafting players, developing talent and orchestrating strategic trades. In other words the organization has been going about it’s business in relative obscurity. To say their efforts have begun to pay dividends is an understatement. THEY ARE IN THE WORLD SERIES FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!!!! To those who live, work and play here it is nothing short of amazing.
As this magical season fades into next season and the season after that I may forget some of the key hits, game changing homers and stellar pitching performances but one thing I will never forget is that a team which labored in obscurity, well off of anyone’s radar screen, in a city that most people think is a suburb of Tampa (whereever that is) had it’s big breakthrough season. They made it to the show of shows!
When I go out plein air painting tomorrow and the next day and the days and months after that, I will do so knowing that my dreams are possible, too. The Rays have made me a believer, not only in their dreams but mine! I am more certain than ever that by continuing to accumulate knowledge, study nature often and practice at a high level I will have a breakthrough season, too. And you know what, the lesson applies to you and your dreams. So keep striving and painting.
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[...] Florida, on the Gulf Coast near St. Petersburg. St. Pete is where I live. It is also home for Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays (which may come as some surprise to most ESPN sportscasters). It is also where I was once founding [...]