Babe Ruth Says, Hey Kid! Show Me Whatcha Got!

This painting is NOT intended to be a portrait of Babe Ruth. It is a painting of a cracked and rusted cast-iron penny arcade game which I ‘created’ from an old black and white studio portrait of the ‘Babe.’ Awhile back, I did a similar large painting called “Iron Sam” (which can be seen on this website) which was from an actual penny arcade game that I photographed at an antique show many years ago, featuring Uncle Sam in the classic Army recruiting poster “I Want YOU!” pose. There is a coin slot, a strength gauge and Sam’s right hand is extended. The game player would squeeze Sam’s hand and his or her strength would register on the gauge.

The photo of Babe Ruth that I worked from showed Babe’s right hand resting in his lap. Using extreme ‘artistic license,’ I extended his hand, added a coin slot and a strength gauge, and a lot of cracks and rust. Babe Ruth, arguably the greatest hitter ever, was ‘un-arguably’ quite crude. One of his favorite things to do, even in sophisticated company, was to approach someone, often a woman, and say, “Hey Sis! Pull my finger. You know the rest of the story.

If you follow my work, you know that I often create ‘tongue in cheek’ fun but very realistic pieces. In this case, the strength gauge that I created does not feature numbers, but instead I used some of Babe’s favorite expressions, like “Busher,” or “I need a hot dog,” and of course, “Pull my finger!” This painting or print would be a fun addition to a bar, den or ‘man cave,’ especially for a baseball fan.

Original painting: 36 x 24” $5000.
SOLD

Giclee prints available: 14 x 35” on mounted canvas.
Edition of 100 Signed/Numbered $350 each, including shipping.