The Real Babe
I met Zan in a funny way: we went trick-or-treating a few years ago. Somewhere along the way, she told me that she’s originally from Canada. At the time, I was in full subject search mode for my series about what it means to be American, Apple Pie, so with her disclosure her fate was sealed: I had to have her as part of my collection!
Zan is a dedicated athlete and was interested in having her likeness combined with that of a sports icon, but none of the heros she proposed had the status I was looking for. So, much like with this subject, I kept the theme of Zan’s interest but found an icon who was recognizable enough to stand with the others in the series. I asked her how she would feel about being a new kind of Babe Ruth…!
I knew I wanted the Zan as Babe painting to take the form of a baseball card…
...but that meant coming up with a team name.
Eventually, I settled on the ‘Mericans, after how some Americans pronounce the word “American” (especially when they say things like “the American way”). I was also looking to subtly point out that Canadians are American too despite the USA’s ability to usurp two whole continents with its name.
Since Zan and I did the interview and photo session before establishing which icon was best suited to her, I didn’t get any photos of Zan striking a characteristic Babe Ruth pose. Instead of asking her to sit for me again and again, I had my sweetheart model with his arms—repeatedly!
I worked with my reference images always present.
Originally, I worked to reproduce the background from the famous three-bat Babe Ruth picture, bleachers and all.
However, as I worked, I discovered that not only did the dark background clash with the overall composition…
...but I needed the background to be made of more malleable stuff.
I wanted to embed the logos of sports equipment companies throughout the painting in order to highlight the increasingly commercial nature of professional athleticism in the United States.
Gwenn Seemel
The Real Babe (Zan, Canadian-American)
2008
acrylic on canvas
36 x 24
(detail below)
At the opening of Apple Pie at DIVA in Eugene last week, I overheard a mother pointing out the half-hidden logos to her children. It’s always a delight to learn what viewers respond to in a work!
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CATÉGORIES: - Apple Pie - Process images -
