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 1979-80 Atlanta Flames (now Calgary Flames) jersey is the original artwork that was used in the creation of this Calgary Flames uniform evolution print and tens of thousands of other Calgary Flames 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 Hockey League unless specifically stated otherwise in writing by the NHL. For further information, please contact Heritage Sports Art at questions@heritagesportsart.com .

 

History

Al McNeil took over as the Flames head coach, from the ousted Fred Creighton, at the start of the 1979-80 season and the Flames continued to post winning records. They made the playoffs for the 6th time in their 8-year history with a respectable 35 wins, 32 losses and 13 ties. One of the highlights of the season came when Olympic hero Jim Craig joined the Flames just 6 days after he backstopped the US Olympic Hockey Team to a stunning Gold Medal win. Craigs debut brought a rare sellout to The Omni, at a time when the club needed it. He stopped 24 of 25 shots leading the Flames to a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rockies. However Craig would not win another game in 3 starts. In the playoffs, the Flames were extinguished quickly again as they won just once, going out 3 games to one to the New York Rangers. Despite making the playoffs 6 times the Flames had just 2 postseason victories in their short history.Off the ice the Flames situation was more tenuous as owner Tom Cousins suffered major financial problems.  In order to save himself from bankruptcy he had to sell the Flames. Fan support was waning due to a lack of major television contract and there were very few offers made from local interest. So Cousins turned to Canadian Nelson Skalbania, who had the intention of moving the team to Calgary. In a late bid to keep the team in Atlanta actor Glenn Ford offer Cousins $8 million dollars; but Skalbania offered $16 million. So it was good-bye Dixie, hello Cowtown!The Flames jersey did not change very much over their 8-year history. Simple additions were made to the 1979-80 edition of their road jersey. The red and white bands that were once on the waist area of the jersey have now moved to the bottom of the jersey. And the gold bands around the collar are more prominent.