This beautifully framed piece features an original piece of watercolor artwork glass-framed in an attractive two inch wide black resin frame with a double mat. The outer dimensions of the framed piece are approximately 17” wide x 24.5” high, although the exact size will vary according to the size of the original piece of art.

At the core of the framed piece is the actual piece of original artwork as painted by the artist on textured 100% rag, water-marked watercolor paper. In many cases the original artwork has handwritten notes in pencil from the artist (be sure to “See the actual artwork without the frame” elsewhere in this website). Simply put, this is beautiful, one-of-a-kind artwork.

The outer mat is a rich textured black acid-free mat with a decorative inset white v-groove, while the inner mat is a complimentary colored acid-free mat reflecting one of the team’s primary colors. The website image of this framed piece shows the mat color that we suggest (Red), but since each piece is custom framed, we are happy to use whatever color mat you wish (depending on availability) – our standard mat colors are:

Light Blue / Dark Blue / Brown / Maroon (close to brown) / White / Silver / Gold / Yellow (bright yellow) / Green (dark green) / Orange / Purple / Red (bright red, somewhat close to PMS 186)

Beneath the artwork is a silver plate with black text describing the original artwork. The text for this piece will read:

This original, one-of-a-kind watercolor painting of the 2004 Atlanta Falcons uniform is the original artwork that was used in the creation of this Atlanta Falcons uniform evolution print and tens of thousands of other Atlanta Falcons products that have been sold across North America. This original piece of art was painted by artist Nola McConnan for Maple Leaf Productions Ltd.

Beneath the silver plate is a 3” x 9” reproduction of a well known, best-selling print that celebrates the history of the team. The print beautifully illustrates the chronological evolution of the team’s uniform and shows you how the original art was used in the creation of this print. If you look closely, you will see that the print features the actual artwork being offered for sale. The 3” x 9” print looks like this:

The piece is framed with an extremely high quality framing glass. We have used this glass style for many years with excellent results. We package every piece very carefully in a double layer of bubble wrap and a rigid double-wall cardboard package to avoid breakage at any point during the shipping process, but if damage does occur, we will gladly repair, replace or refund. Please note that all of our products come with a 90 day 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Each framed piece also comes with a two page letter signed by Scott Sillcox describing the history behind the art. If there was an extra-special story about your piece of art, that story will be included in the letter. When you receive your framed piece, you should find the letter lightly attached to the front of the framed piece.

If you have any questions, at any time, about the actual artwork or about any of the artist’s handwritten notes on the artwork, I would love to tell you about them. Simply email me, Scott Sillcox, at scott@heritagesportsart.com and I will tell you everything I can about your original piece of art. The artists and I spent well over ten years of our lives creating these pieces of original artwork, and in many cases there are stories I can tell you about your actual piece of artwork that might add an extra element of interest in your one-of-a-kind purchase.

Please note that all reproduction rights for this original work are retained in perpetuity by the National Football League unless specifically stated otherwise in writing by the NFL. For further information, please contact Heritage Sports Art at questions@heritagesportsart.com .

 

History

2004 saw standout QB Michael Vick return to the Falcon flock after missing most of the 2003 season with a preseason ankle injury. This was great news for the Falcon faithful not only because Vick was the most exciting player in the league, but also because the team went from a 5-11 record in 2003 to 11-5 in 2004. Their turnaround performance was good enough to win the NFC South division ahead of the Saints, Panthers and Buccaneers. This would be the franchise's third division title having previously won NFC West titles in 1980 and 1998.On the field, the team was led by first-year-head-coach Jim Mora Jr., the son of former Saints and Colts head coach Jim Mora.  Mora led his charges into the postseason as the third seed in the NFC. The Falcons received a bye in the 1st round of the playoffs, then hosted a divisional playoff game where they thrashed the St. Louis Rams 47-17. The following week they played on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles for the NFC conference title and a trip to the Super Bowl, but they came up short and lost to the powerful Eagles 27-10.Despite this loss in the conference final, Atlanta and Michael Vick proved to the NFL that together they would be a force in the league for years to come, and fans expect them to be knocking on the Super Bowls door in the foreseeable future.In 2003 the Falcons made a major change to their uniform design, and this 2004 uniform illustrates those changes.The new look included this red jersey, which in 2003 was worn as a third jersey. Prior to the start of the 2004 season the Falcons made it their official home jersey. It features large white numerals on the front and back and smaller white TV numbers on the tops of the shoulders. All numerals on the jersey are outlined with black trim. Beneath the TV numbers is a small version of the updated Falcons logo.This jersey also features black and white detailing where the sleeve meets the torso of the jersey, the undersides and the cuffs of the sleeves are black. A thin line of black trim runs down jersey from the underside of the sleeves. And lastly, the teams nickname Falcons is spelled out, on the front of the jersey, in small, white block letters above the numbers and below the NFL Equipment patch on the collar.Regarding the NFL Equipment patch: If you look closely at every NFL uniform worn from 2002 onward, you will notice an NFL Equipment patch on the jersey's neckline and on the upper left thigh of the pants. This NFL Equipment patch is larger (its a bit bigger than the size of a golf ball) than the previous NFL shield patch (about the size of an average postage stamp) that had been worn on uniforms in the same two places almost without exception since the 1991 season.The helmet, as in previous years, is black but now sports the new, updated Falcons logo. The new logo is a sleek, stylized falcon bird, shaped as an F with red detailing, outlined in white.The white pants, which are meant to contrast with the bright red jersey, are a departure from the grey/silver pants worn in recent years. The pants are cinched at the waist by a black belt.