Reaching for Unity
Artist: David Landau
Hi, I am a Junior at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and would like to submit a proposal for a pigskin football. I did not create an official template because my design is textured and can't be replicated on a computer; it can only be photographed.
But wait, there's hope! I created several paintings with this design, and am including photos of them instead. The series is called "Reaching for Compassion" and each painting reflects several multicolored textured hands in a blending, multicolor background.
The hands themselves are made up of 4-8 different variations of a color [6 greens in the green hand, 8 blues in the blue hand, etc]. However, the hands all share a common shape and theme [one large and one small per color]. This represents the ability of a diverse group [such as many different football teams or different culture/nationalities of the players] coming together and forming a vibrant, exciting whole.
I attached two photos of this type of painting. Also attached is a side view to see the texture. In addition, there is a photo of this concept turned into a sculpture with gemstones imbedded in the paint. I could choose to include or not include gemstones as the sponsor / donor / foundation sees fit. I personally feel they would enhance the piece but have had both good and mixed reviews depending on the context.
The texture is built up acrylic gel medium. This medium is applied on top of any type of primer and can mix very well with virtually any type of paint. It dries plastic-hard and is waterproof; an ideal substance to use in conjunction with the approved materials. There is also a way to get this medium to dry to the texture/thickness of rubber in some or all areas of the design if desired.
The texture could be stronger or weaker depending on how the football is "resting." For example, if the same 15% of the surface area is always going to be sitting on top of a display podium, I can make that area less textured than the rest so it will sit better.