Phil Dewey ’89: "Substantial Power"
Artist and teacher Phil Dewey ’89 at work on his most recent piece in his series of portraits of great player from baseball's Negro League. The larger image at center is Jackie Robinson
Phil Dewey ’89
Dewey's piece honoring Buck O'Neill, the 1945 Negro League MVP, first black coach in the Major Leagues, and invaluable scout who brought Ernie Banks, among others, into the majors. In the last year of his life, O'Neill was considered for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame but was not selected.
Dewey says, "When I was making this piece, it kept breaking. This is the third attempt, and when it broke, I kept all the pieces. About that time all this news about the Hall of Fame not inducting him was swirling around. So I kept the pieces—it seemed this was the way it was meant to be."
"I set it between these pillars—an institutional look, the politics of baseball."
Detail of "Buck O'Neill"
Detail of "Buck O'Neill"
Dewey's small portrait of Slim Jones
Dewey learned inlaying technique to add this detail to his piece honoring Slim Jones.
Dewey stands beside his nearly life-sized portrait of Satchel Paige, one of two of his pieces exhibited at the 2007 Detroit Artists Market 75th Anniversary Celebration, "Baseball as Art."
Detail from "Satchel Paige"
