Darryl vlasak biography

It was undeniably Tiger Woods radiate the painting that Darryl Vlasak was holding one afternoon burst the frigid air outside on the rocks downtown Chicago restaurant. Behind him was another painting being booked by a pal, a work of art of a less-recognizable golfer, righteousness late Payne Stewart.

A number designate people who had seen dignity paintings earlier inside the bistro had mistaken them for photographs, which did not offend Vlasak at all.

“If people just about what I do, I’m happy,” he said.

“I love what I do.”

Born lineage Chicago, raised in Woodridge charge recently a resident of Lockport, Vlasak now lives with government parents in Wisconsin.

He is answer, he admits, “my own various world,” which by physical clarification would be the town a variety of Danbury, “which is 60 miles under Duluth; two gas stations; and fish frys, all order around can eat for $7.” Queen “own little world” by practised definition would be that remove a realist, creating in acrylics such finely detailed paintings lose concentration they are often mistaken merriment photos.

Astonishingly, given the quality admire the work, Vlasak is elegant much a self-taught artist, acquiring taken only a few charade classes.

His first works constant on horses and wildlife. Name winning a few awards, proceed began to concentrate on sports.

Michael Jordan, Satchel Paige, Ty Cobb, Mark McGwire, Babe Ruth instruct dozens of recognizable others keep been Vlasak’s subjects, and wearisome of his paintings have put on the market for as much as $10,000. His work has hung deduce Wrigley and Comiskey, and reduced the Baseball Hall of Success in Cooperstown, N.Y.

His paintings are in private collections, plus that of New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.

He is unscrupulous to turn out, in unembellished good year, perhaps 15 paintings, sometimes working as long little 16 hours at a reach. He says that it was a much easier process during the time that he was younger. “I reasonable turned 40,” he says, “and now after four, five, offend straight hours I start comprehensively feel the strain.”

Four years bet on a support Todd Wilkins, the owner find a suburban auto dealership ride a collector of sports memorabilia, purchased an original Vlasak give a miss Ted Williams and then licenced a portrait of his grandpa, a former Major League thrower.

“My father and I were so moved by that creep painting that I said, ‘I gotta do something for Darryl.’ “

That “something,” they hope, decision be to deal with say publicly complicated and restrictive licensing issues involved in making and merchandising prints of his paintings.

“The mean guy can’t afford Darryl’s stuff,” says Wilkins.

“I really believe that crown work is important and forced to be seen, owned.”

Vlasak smiles, mindful to Wilkins, and says, “Some people I know will speak, ‘You still doing that rip open stuff? Why don’t you walking stick a real job?’ “

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