MLB Umpire Steve Palermo, 18” x 24,” custom art piece
In the summer of 2017, David was hired to create a custom stippling art piece of Major League Baseball umpire Steve Palermo. Steve Palermo passed away in May of 2017, and the commissioned piece was created as a gift for his wife, Debbie. Multiple prints of the stippling piece were framed and gifted to Kansas City Royals general manager Dayton Moore and Rich Garcia, Palermo’s crew chief in the MLB.
Steve Palermo had a very successful career as a major league umpire. His umpire crew, led by Rich Garcia, umpired the 1983 World Series, three American League Championship series, and the 1986 All-Star Game. Steve was recognized as one of the finest umpires in the MLB, and he was ranked the number one American League umpire by The Sporting News in 1991.
Close up view of Steve Palermo’s profile
David’s commissioned portrait of Steve Palermo was ambitiously made at 18” x 24.” The average size of David’s original stippling pieces is 11” x 14,” so this project was a large time commitment. The project ended up requiring 65 hours of stippling, which was David’s second longest piece (Barn Owl took 100 hours). Accurately capturing Steve’s profile view, along with his chest protector and umpire shirt, were the most time-consuming aspects of this piece for David. The realistic quality of the piece, along with the sheer volume of effort it required, have made this project one of David’s all-time favorites.
David and Debbie Palermo holding the original piece
David’s letter from Dayton Moore, KC Royals general manager
The original art piece was custom framed and gifted to Debbie Palermo, Steve’s widow. David had the opportunity to personally give the piece to Debbie in August of 2017. In addition to framing the original, two 18” x 24” prints were custom framed and prepared as gifts. One was gifted to Dayton Moore, the Kansas City Royals general manager. The piece is currently displayed in Moore’s office. The other was gifted to Rich Garcia, Palermo’s umpire crew chief. David received a letter of thanks from both individuals.
Prints of this stippling piece are available for purchase in David’s shop. Follow the link below to see more details.