UNLEADED.
This is the first series in thegoodfire art brand: UNLEADED. It’s born from a love of collecting all things vintage—a wonderfully cluttered and lifelong hobby inherited from my father. These pieces are a viewfinder of forgotten artifacts. Latent images brought to life through press photographs, letterpress blocks, and scraps of American culture fused into reimagined narratives. Prints are available upon request.
Nothing gold can stay.
The title is a quote borrowed from Robert Frost via The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, symbolizing the fleeting nature of childhood innocence, purity, and beauty. Various vintage letterpress blocks were acquired, then printed at Quality Letterpress, and finally, photographed at high resolution, as some blocks measured less than an inch. Handwritten notes from press photos add to the tarnished vibe surrounding this version of Ponyboy Curtis.
God is coming. Boy, is she pissed.
The powerful posture and expression gave light to this ironic title. She/her appears to be looking down from the heavens with a quiet, fiery stare of disbelief, disappointment, and gentle rage. Flipping the gender script of “God” is a statement about toxic masculinity that has forever and continues to plague the planet.
All the rest are merely games.
“There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.” This famous phrase champions the traditional view that only true sports are those involving inherent, life-threatening danger. In this story, both characters are chasing those treacherous endorphins.
While attributed to author Ernest Hemingway, historical records suggest the quote was actually coined by sports writer Ken Purdy in a fictional story titled Blood Sport, published in the July 27, 1957 edition of the Saturday Evening Post.
Breaking the color line.
Looking closely, it’s evident that the white player is within the crop, while the African American player is covered with a large X, removing him from the photograph. This may or may not have been a decision based on race, but it influenced the title of this piece, which is a reference to Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball on April 15, 1947. The title intends to honor this achievement with a full crop of the image.
Never far away.
The elements of this piece came together organically, with no clear direction in mind—they just belonged together. After sitting with it for a while, “Pat” seemed to take on the persona of a writer, a storyteller. Someone bound by the relentless need to paint with words. In the search for a title that captured this notion, a quote from Dolly Parton found its way to the visual by chance or divine intervention: “I ain’t never far away from a pencil and paper or a tape recorder.”
Depth of field. Opening Day, 1937.
The one piece in the UNLEADED series that’s based on reality. The Pacific Coast League opener was played on April 2, 1937, against the Seattle Indians at Lane Field, located near the San Diego harbor. Woodblock type, a press photo, a newspaper clipping, and a 1937 season schedule were acquired to create the art—all but the letter P are from that day.
On the roster that year was an 18-year-old legendary outfielder named Ted Williams.