The Independent Carolina Baseball League

"Ginger" and Marvin Watts

The Watts brothers portrait is almost finished. They are show here in their Kannapolis Towelers uniforms. The opening reception for these protraits November 10, 6-10 pm, at Original Art, 21 Union Street South, Concord, NC 704-784-1549. I'll see you here!

Diane Overcash

The Independent Carolina Baseball League
Next, in the ballplayers line up is the Watts brothers. This is the beginning stage of their portrait. They will be finished in time for the opening reception on November 10, at Original Art in Concord.

Brothers, Herman "Ginger" Watts on the left a catcher, and Marvin Watts, an infielder, are pictured here in their Kannapolis Towelers unifoms that were worn in 1937. The uniforms were plain with three quarter length sleeves that the players rolled up if they got in the way. Striped socks were a part of the uniform that year.

The Watts brothers were from the eastern part of Cabarrus County community called Watts Crossroads. They played for the Carolina League Kannapolis Towelers and for the 1943 Victory League Concord team.

The opening reception for the Outlaw Ballplayers portraits is Friday, November 10. 6-10 pm. Hank Utley will be here signing books for you. See you then.

Diane Overcash

Original Art
21 union Street South
Concord, NC 28025,
704-784-1549
dianelovesart@vnet.net

The Independent Carolina Baseball League
Let me introduce you to Hank Utley who is generously allowing me to use his photographs of the ballplayers to paint the portraits. As you recall, he wrote two books about the "outlaw" league, The Independent Carolina Baseball League and Outlaw Baseball. Here Hank is pictured with "Alabama" Pitts, so you can see the scale of the portraits. Yes, they really are life-size.

The Independent Carolina Baseball League

Richard Broadus Culler was a graduate of High Point College, NC- played short stop in Cooleemee, 1935; Concord 1936, 37 ,38. He signed with Philadelphia Athletics at the end of 1936 but returned to outlaw baseball in 1937 after release by Connie Mack in the spring of 1937. He played eight seasons in the majors, career batting average .244.

Culler is pictured here in front of Webb Field in Concord, NC. Webb Field had a steep slope upward in the outfield, a definite disadvantage if you were from out of town and not used to this run up the hill.

Notice the three-quarter length sleeve of the uniform. The Concord uniforms changed to this length in 1936 when the first night games were played. This portrait is not quite finished, I need to add stripes and the letter "C" to the sleeve.

Opening reception for these portraits is November 10, 6-10 at Original Art. Bring your camera and have your picture taken with the players. Hank will be here that night signing books for you, too.

Diane Overcash
Original Art
21 Union Street South
Concord, NC 28025
704-784-1549

The Independent Carolina Baseball League

"Alabama" Pitts is finished. It's not signed yet, that would mean there is nothing else I could do to make the painting better, and that's a scarey thought.

The more I read about these "outlaw" leagues the more interested I become. The ballplayers were real people, with real lives and who made real mistakes. When I first thought about this painting project I knew I wanted them to be painted life-size and now I know why. I want to bring them to life, show them in action doing what they do best. I want to bring the viewer in close to the action as if they could speak to the players. We're not going to speculate on what they would say. It might not be friendly comments.

Another thing that fascinates me is that these leagues were formed as a way to cope with the depression of the 1930's. Textile manufacturers and local businessmen organized the leagues to give their employees something to get excited about and something to do during those bleak years. They had the audacity and the independent spirit to make the best of a bad situation.

Next up is Richard Broadus Culler. Opening reception for these portraits is November 10. 6-10 at Original Art. Bring your camera and have your picture taken with the players, remember they are life-size.

Diane Overcash
Original Art
21 Union Street South
Concord, NC 28025
704-784-1549

The Independent Carolina Baseball League

Here is Pitts with the correct uniform on when he played for the Charlotte Hornets.

This one is almost finished. He does look a lot better with hands and a face.

Diane Overcash

Here is the lastest portrait of Edwin Collins "Alabama" Pitts. It's not finished but it is well on the way.

Pitts, after leaving Albany in 1935 and Trenton midseason in 1936, joined the Charlotte Hornets in the outlaw Carolina League where he was a hitting sensation. No stats are available but he had a .411 BA after the first 19 games. In 1937, with the Gastonia Spinners and Valdese Textiles, he hit .333 BA. In 1938 with the Valdese and the Lenoir Finishers he hit .268 BA. On June 7, 1941 he died from a stabbing and subsequent loss of blood after a barroom brawl in Valdese, N.C. This was 6 years after his release from Sing Sing on June 6, 1935.

The next time you see this painting the uniform color will have changed. Hank was in the gallery yesterday and reminded me I had painted the uniform the wrong color. It is gray, not beige. It's hard to tell from black and white photographs. I'm glad Hank is here to help me with these details. I really want these portraits to be authentic.

What do you think of the painting so far? Leave a comment.

Diane Overcash
Original Art
21 Union Street South
Concord, NC 28025
704-784-1549
dianelovesart@vnet.net