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 (Yellow), 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 San Diego Chargers uniform is the original artwork that was used in the creation of this San Diego Chargers uniform evolution print and tens of thousands of other San Diego Chargers 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

After watching QB Drew Brees struggle for three seasons, the Chargers engineered a draft day deal that saw them trade away the first overall pick, Eli Manning, who was reluctant to play in San Diego, to the Giants for the 4th pick overall Philip Rivers and three draft picks. Now the Chargers had 3 QBs: Brees, Doug Flutie and Rivers. This meant Brees starting job was very much in jeopardy. Fortunately for Brees, Rivers held out for half the preseason. As a result, Brees was named the starter six days before the 2004 season opener.Brees held onto the starting job with some impressive play, leading the Chargers to a remarkable 12-4 record and their first AFC West championship since 1994 and their first playoff appearance since 1995. Brees threw for 3,159 yards, 27 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. His 104.8 passer rating ranked third in the NFL behind Peyton Manning and Daunte Culpepper and was a 37.3 point improvement over the previous year. The great numbers were good enough to earn Drew a spot on the AFC Pro Bowl roster.As mentioned, the Chargers 12-4 record made them the 4th seed in the AFC for the playoffs, which meant they would host a Wildcard game.  The Chargers played host to the NY Jets and sadly were gracious hosts in allowing their guests to build a 10-point lead by the end of the 3rd quarter. But the Chargers would fight back in the 4th, scoring a field goal with 10:48 left and then holding off the Jets offence after a six minute possession. They got the ball back with 4:46 left and managed to score the tying TD when Brees hit Antonio Gates with pass in the Jets end zone with 16 seconds remaining. Unfortunately the comeback would end in overtime courtesy of a Doug Brien field goal with just 8 seconds left in the first OT period.  Make the final score 20-17 for the Jets.When the Chargers met the Jets at home in the playoffs they wore this dark blue home jerseys and white pants. You might notice that the shade of blue is a bit different than previous blues. You might also notice that the Chargers uniform features their lightning bolt logo on the jersey around the shoulders as well as on the pants down the side of the legs as well as on the helmet.Note also that if you look closely, you'll notice an NFL Equipment patch on the jersey's neckline and on the upper left thigh of the pants. This style NFL equipment patch, which is a bit bigger than the size of a golf ball, was added to all NFL team uniforms in 2002 The NFL Equipment patch replaced the previous NFL shield patch (which was the size of an average postage stamp) that had been worn on uniforms in the same two places (below the V of the neckline and on the upper left thigh) almost without exception since the 1991 season.