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 1962 Houston Colt .45s (now Houston Astros) uniform is the original artwork that was used in the creation of this Houston Astros uniform evolution print and tens of thousands of other Houston Astros 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 Major League Baseball unless specifically stated otherwise in writing by MLB. For further information, please contact Heritage Sports Art at questions@heritagesportsart.com .

 

History

The Houston Astros began life in 1962 as the Colt .45s, a reminder of the  famous six shooter gun. The Colts began playing in the temporarily erected, 32,000 seat Colt Stadium (which was affectionately known as Mosquito Heaven), where they would play for their first three seasons. The Colts changed their name to the Astros in 1965 when they moved to the brand new Astrodome. Colt Stadium, which is now part of the Astrodome parking lot, was taken apart in the 70's and sent to Mexico, where it was reassembled for the Mexican League.The 1962 Colts ended up 64-96 with a group of players taken from an expansion pool,  ahead of two other teams to end up in 8th place in the new 10 team National League. The other two teams? The 59-105 Cubs and the 40-120 New York Mets (the Mets were the other 1962 expansion team, and with their 40-120 record set a modern day record for futility).This is a Colts home uniform. Although perhaps not appropriate for today's politically correct times, the jersey featured a colt .45 six-shooter, with COLTS scripted above it and the C of Colts wisping out of the barrel of the gun. Attractive in a simple way, this was a very plain uniform, with no piping or stripes, in fact not much color at all. That would change in a big way in the 70's!