My love of b ball started at about 4th grade for me. Played all through high school and into college.
Seeing that I am from Chicago it is no surprise that I am a huge Michael Jordan fan. My wife even danced with him back at the Cotton Club years ago, and believe it or not I was not even jealous. Actually I must admit I was jealous, but more because she got to meet Jordan and I did not. Ya I know pathetic.
In any case, I have 4 young children all of whom I adore and continually try to inspire to rise up to every occasion in life, so naturally we reference Jordan a lot.
My youngest son Westen is somewhat fanatical about b ball as was I. Before leaving for Easton he gave me a little Air Jordan logo that he cut out and framed up in a white border. Told me to keep it in my pocket for good luck and inspiration. So I did.
As the week went on I carried this little logo with me, more to keep him present in my mind than Jordan, but whatever.
During the event I decided to do a nocturne of the Bartlett Pear Inn from the backside of the restaurant of the wait staff working in the kitchen. The glow from the inside windows against the dark patterns and rocking chairs was what caught my attention. Great shapes and temperature drives.
Soon after starting an 18 x 24 one of the wait staff came out to see what I was doing. He was very kind and introduced himself as the owner and head chef and said his name was "Jordan".
As we began to close in on the deadline of selecting our 2 competition paintings it turned out that this nocturne would be one of my selections. As much as composing and painting a piece may seem to be the most difficult part of it, for me it is probably more difficult to come up with a good title than it is to paint it.
Knowing the connection to this Air Jordan card my son gave me and that the chef's name being Jordan I wanted to use something that would carry over. As I ran over some of Jordan's favorite quotes in my head and asked my kids if they had any ideas, my roommate Greg LaRock said, "How about Pear Jordan?"
"Perfect!"
"Pear Jordan" 18 x 24 oil on linen - Sold
The locals seemed to get it, even if some others didn't know what to make of it.
As it turns out the painting won 3rd Place! I was thrilled and very surprised. Thanks Peter Trippi!
So the little Air Jordan logo made its way back to the mid west were it is has now been given a new home - inside of my paint box. Just a constant reminder to always give 100 %.
I love the fact that Jordan is quoted as saying that he never lost a game, just ran out of time. Here are a few of his quotes:
I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.
I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.
I play to win, whether during practice or a real game. And I will not let anything get in the way of me and my competitive enthusiasm to win.
If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never will change the outcome.
I never looked at the consequences of missing a big shot… when you think about the consequences you always think of a negative result.
If you’re trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I’ve had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.
I’ve always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come.
My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength.
I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.
