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 (Orange), 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 Denver Broncos uniform is the original artwork that was used in the creation of this Denver Broncos uniform evolution print and tens of thousands of other Denver Broncos 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

The Mile High Running Back factory is what Mike Shanahans Denver Broncos could be called. In 2004 Shanahan was in his 10th year as Broncos head coach and in almost every one of those 10 years his number-one running back has rushed for over 1100 yards. From 1995-98 it was Terrell Davis , in 1999 it was Olandis Gary, in 2000 it was Mike Anderson, from 2002-2003 Clinton Portis was the man and in 2004 Reuben Droughns carried the ball.Throughout Droughns career he was never the number-one guy. His rookie year was 2001  with the Detroit Lions, and as a back up his season best numbers were 30 carries for 72 yards. In 2004, when Shanahan installed him as the feature-back in Denver, he got the ball 275 times and amassed 1240 yards.The Broncos made the playoffs in 2004 with a 10-6 record, finishing second in the AFC West behind the 12-4 San Diego Chargers. They met the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Wild Card game and got bombed 49-24 at the RCA Dome.Despite the shellacking the Broncos took in the playoffs Mike Shanahan was quite pleased with his team. At a seasons-end press conference the head coach said "You don't finish fourth on defense and fifth on offense without being pretty good. No one should look at this as something you need to tear down and start over again; we're a good football team. We have a nucleus of guys."With that in mind, prior to the start of the 2005 season Shanahan did make some changes. In a surprise move he traded the aforementioned Reuben Droughns to the Browns for Ebenezer Ekuban and Michael Myers, two defensive lineman the Broncos hope will bolster their pass rush.Droughns, who we mentioned led the Broncos with 1,240 yards rushing in 2004, was given permission to pursue a trade because he wasn't expected to start this year. Denver has no pressing needs at tailback. They have Tatum Bell, Mike Anderson and Quentin Griffin and signed Ron Dayne during free agency. They also used their 3rd round pick in the 2005 draft to select former Ohio State standout Maurice Clarett at tailback. It remains to be seen if Shanahan can turn Clarett, who has a well-documented, troubled past, into a productive running back at the Mile High Running Back Factory.In Week 12 of the 2004 season the Broncos donned their orange third jerseys for a home game against the Oakland Raiders. That was the first appearance of the alternate uniforms since Nov. 24, 2002, when the Broncos donned them for another Sunday night game, against the Indianapolis Colts. Denver's orange 3rd jersey is the opposite to their navy blue home jersey in terms of color scheme. The jersey has an orange base with navy blue under the sleeves and down the side of the jersey. The white numerals and the collar also feature navy blue trim.A quick note about 3rd jerseys - a 3rd jersey is a concept that became commonplace in baseball and hockey in the 1990's, and in the 2000s in the NFL. Most 3rd jerseys are worn occasionally at home as well as on the road, giving a team a third option as to what uniform to wear. And of course, the addition of a third jersey adds to the options fans can buy, thereby increasing apparel revenues and ultimately benefiting the team. More recently, baseball and hockey teams have begun adding 4th and even 5th jerseys to their roster of uniform possibilities, but this trend has not started in the NFL, nor is it likely to if for no other reason than the fact that the NFL season consists of only 16 regular season games vs baseball's 162 and hockey's 82.