Houston Astros 1968

Nola McConnan

1 in stock

Watercolor Painting

Nola McConnan

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.

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$595.00 USD - Price includes framing as well as fast, free shipping with UPS
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$595.00

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 1968 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

This home uniform was first introduced in 1965 when the team moved from Colt Stadium to the 8th Wonder of The World, the Astrodome, and changed their name to reflect their new home. The name Astrodome and Astros reflected the importance of the country's space program to Houston, and vice versa.This is still a very simple uniform, with the team name in blue and orange-red outline, and a shooting star symbolizing the Lone Star State. The patch on the left sleeve is a futuristic looking insignia with the Astrodome in the middle, baseball's flying around it like atoms and ASTROS written underneath. All in all, this uniform works!A note about the Astrodome: The Astrodome was originally built with clear roof panels and natural grass, but the outfielders had difficulty seeing fly balls, and thus the roof panels were painted, which then killed the grass. The solution was a green carpet made to look like real grass, and under-padding to cushion the hard floor below. Thus Astroturf was born in 1966, a year after the Astrodome opened.In 1968, the Astros third season at the Astrodome, the team saw several firsts. The longest 1-0 game in baseball history took place on April 15th when the Astros beat the Mets in 24 innings. The Astrodomes first and only rain-out occurred on June 15th when a storm prevented the umpires and the fans from getting to the game. Additionally, 1968 saw the Astros host the first All Star game to be played indoors and on artificial turf, and it was the first and only 1-0 All Star game. Unfortunately, 1968 was also the first time in the franchise's short history that they finished in last place (albeit with a respectable 72-90 record). 1968 was also the first year that the Astros expansion twin, the Mets, finished ahead of them (the Mets finished a single game better than the Astros at 73-89). Who could have predicted what 1969 had in store for the Miracle Mets?

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