WE’RE COVERED NICELY
WHEN IT CAME TIME TO PICK A SUBJECT AND ARTIST FOR THE COVER OF THIS ISSUE, WE KNEW EXACTLY WHO WE WANTED
James Fiorentino was a college student and shortstop at Drew University in 1999 when he was commissioned by Topps to create a Derek Jeter piece for use on a trading card.“Funny to think how long ago I painted that,” he says of the Jeter image that graces the front of the 1999 Topps Gallery Heritage insert.
Even as a student Fiorentino’s talent was catching the attention of many in the industry. In 2003, he painted the
Jeter card in 2003 Upper Deck Play Ball.
Now he’s back with the Beckett Baseball cover painting of the newest Hall of Famer – his second cover for Beckett Baseball’s Artist Spotlight issue. Last year, his painting of Mike Trout graced the cover of the inaugural Artist Spotlight issue.
A native and resident of New Jersey, Jeter was (and is) one of Fiorentino’s all-time favorites. e two have spoken in the past, but James is hoping their paths cross at the 2020 Hall of Fame ceremonies in Cooperstown in late July. When told it was Jeter we wanted on the cover, James couldn’t begin the project soon enough.“Very excited!” he texted.
So were we.
James was looking to add a little bit of “vintage quality” to his painting, complete with ballpark in the background. He also gave us a shout-out on the fence, which was a pleasant surprise.
In the future we’ll let you know how you will have the opportunity to purchase this one-of-a-kind original. In the meantime, flip through the Artist Spotlight and get your art on. ere is some great stuff in there.