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Adam Silver for Sports Illustrated

May 22, 2014

Last week I was called by Sports Illustrated to paint the new NBA commissioner and suddenly famous Adam Silver, the for their cover.

Adam Silver, as many now know, was thrown into the public consciousness by handing down an appropriately harsh sentence to the pathetically racist Donald Sterling, for remarks he made in a taped conversation leaked all over the internet last month.

History moves slowly forward and as a nation we do improve, kind of like an incoming tide.  Sure, it recedes here and there, but I like to think it does move forward.  Racism is our nation's dark history that has strong grip on some towns and minds.  Adam's action in such a public manner was to again signal that racism is not only inelegant, it is an evil that is unforgivable. 

I saw my job as making Adam Silver look confident and majestic.  I had great reference and used subtle lighting and texture to make him look his best.

Being on the cover of Sports Illustrated is a thrill.  My first was last year and ironically enough it was another national sport commissioner, the NFL's Roger Goodell in a Game of Throne's motif.

As I said then, I think of how long I've read Sports Illustrated.  I received a subscription from my Uncle Eddie after my father passed when I was 9.  It would come every week and I would read about boxing, learn about Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvin Hagler, my brother Jay would read about hockey and paper his room with Boston Bruin photos, and my brother Dan would read about Baseball and Football.  The photos were always great and the art was as well.  To be a part of that history is wonderful. 
Thanks to SI for thinking of me and to Uncle Eddie up there somewhere, for the same.