Eleven months ago, as COVID-19 started to spread, we left Spring Training in Florida and drove home to Westchester County, NY. Shortly after arriving home, I wrote about our trip home, all the while thinking now’s my chance to become a more active writer while in shutdown. It did not happen. Writing has always been my Achilles Heel. But, because of COVID-19 and the shutdown of my studio for five months. It gave me the time to reset what I want to change. Though I enjoyed my second career working with other artists, it began to feel more like a job—something I did not want after retiring in 2006.
While the building/studio was closed, the 44″ Epson printer, printer heads dried up, clogging the lines. After extensive work on attempting to get the printer up and running. Between the expense of the repair kit, ink, and paper waste, in August, I gave up. I called 1-800-GOT-JUNK and felt a lot better. But, the shutdown has been far more devastating for the musicians, actors, and artists. Many artists I know and worked with lost their galleries here in the US and abroad that showcase their work.
Starting January into February 2020, I began printing the pictures for my project and purchased the inventory to complete it.
In August, having already given on my old printer, I decided I called B&H in Manhattan to purchase an Epson SureColor P5000 Standard Edition 17″ Wide-Format Inkjet Printer. This project was close to my heart. It has been something that I started thinking about a long time ago. Over the year’s I made changes to the concept. In 2010 I had 100-handmade boxes crafted. So, now 2021, it’s full steam ahead.
On Friday, I finished work on the last set of prints, and today, the last element the cover letter. So, now I will let the visuals speak:
The total amount of images, 2600. Every image had to be hand trimmed to fit correct in the boxes.
And today the last element
This Limited-Edition Box Set is a photographic history covering the span of Yankee Stadium I II and III. All of the fine art prints, also called giclee’s, are archival museum-quality, using pigment inks on 100% cotton rag paper. The custom-made box and interleaved buffered-paper to protect the prints are acid-free. This combination gives you the highest quality fine art printing available.
Following a lengthy review of Yankee Stadium images, I found it daunting to create a visual story. I chose these 25 pictures as they show the stadium as it progressed and changed. They share a visual aspect, connecting the three Yankee Stadiums’ stories together. I chose to start with June 1, 1922, over earlier shots as it shows the construction’s beginnings. The 1922 photo’s perspective and the picture taken on March 19, 2010, are from the same camera location. August 16, 1937, the picture depicts the completed triple deck right-field stands, proving that Babe Ruth never hit a home run into the third deck. Other pictures are of all five scoreboards. One is from 1973, thanking the fans at the last game at Yankee Stadium on September 30, 1973, and another is the last game in 2008 with Babe Ruth on the screen. Also included are pictures capturing the last pitch at Yankee Stadium II in 2008 and the first pitch at the new Yankee Stadium III in 2009.
This Limited-Edition Box Set is comprised of a vast archive of-one-of-a-kind pictures. The Black & White images are public domain. All the Color images were shot by Paul Plaine and are copyright protected and cannot be reproduced without written permission.
Paul Plaine
You can contact me at paul@ballparkprints.com or through Message on twitter for additional information.
BALLPARK PRINTS 