Monty Sheldon started painting baseballs in January 1998 and
since that
time has developed into one of the Premier Sports Artists in the
country.
Monty, 44, grew up on Possum Trot Road, in rural Ohio, outside
of Columbus
and has been a lifelong fan of the Cincinnati Reds. Doris Sheldon,
Monty's
mother, recalls Monty's youth... "He was always drawing this and that
from
the time he was three or four years old."
After high school, Monty transformed his love of drawing into
a career
by attending the Joe Kubert School of Cartooning and Graphic Art in
Dover,
New Jersey. He moved to Portland, Oregon in 1988 to pursue his career
with
Dark Horse Comics. He stayed with Dark Horse until Early 1998 and
left the firm to devote his full attention to the creation of his
artwork.
Monty first became interested in creating baseball art while
attending
a memorabilia show in Tacoma, Washington in November, 1997. At this
show
he viewed the work of Sports Artist Eric Black, of Big Sur, California,
and spontaneously realized he could combine three of his favorite
pleasures...Baseball,
Art, and Collectibles. With the assistance of Mark Macrae, who now
represents
him, Monty has found satisfaction and success in what he loves to
do.
Monty now enjoys the life of a self-employed professional
artist and
does most of his work in his studio at home.
The response to Monty's work has been overwhelming, and the
appreciation
his clients have expressed has been heartwarming. In addition to
private
collections Monty's work has been featured in the MCI SPORTS GALLERY, a
museum specializing in Sports History, located in central Washington
D.C.
Additionally he has been interviewed in VINTAGE & CLASSIC BASEBALL
COLLECTOR magazine as well as the TACOMA NEWS TRIBUNE.
Monty looks forward to many years of creating these unique collectibles and hopes to inspire other artists to follow in his footsteps...
Artball® Home