Artist trades advertising for sports, finds niche with Cubs – Chicago Tribune
John Hanley has made a living by balancing his two childhood loves — baseball and art.
The 54-year-old veteran sports artist has sold hundreds of Cubs-related paintings and prints to baseball fans across the country in a decadeslong career that began at a Chicago advertising agency.
As a child in Crystal Lake, Hanley doodled on whatever he could get his hands on, from napkins to envelopes. But art really didn’t fit into his life plan at the time, he said. He dreamed of playing for the Cubs.
“All through high school, I wanted to play baseball. Once I got to college and realized it wasn’t gonna work out, then I had to go to plan B,” Hanley said. “If I wasn’t gonna play baseball, I was gonna do art.”
Hanley graduated from the American Academy of Art in Chicago in 1985 with a degree in illustration and quickly landed a job at an ad agency’s art studio downtown. But after six years, Hanley said, he was laid off.
“Advertising art paid very well. It was very hectic and stressful, but the money was good. But after a while, the demand for artwork as the computer came in was just less and less,” he said. “I got let go and thought, ‘Oh my God, how am I gonna pay the bills?'”
Hanley set out to do freelance work for movie merchandising and comic book companies to support his family. He said the work was fun but ultimately unfulfilling.
He began pursuing sports art full time in the mid-’90s, landing freelance jobs with the NHL, the NFL, various college-level sports teams and the Cubs’ official magazine, Vine Line.
“You have to find your niche. I tried the advertising thing and the comic book thing and I liked it, but I didn’t love it,” he said. “I knew there was something else I wanted to do,” he said. “You have to follow a dream one way or the other and do what you like. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I made the right choice.”
In 2008, “Classic Cubs: A Tribute to the Men and Magic of Wrigley Field” was published with more than 300 of Hanley’s original paintings documenting the history of the Cubs. The book was a partnership between Hanley and Chris De Luca, a Chicago-based writer and deputy managing editor of the Chicago Sun-Times.
“I document sports history through art. It’s no different than anybody else writing about it,” he said. “I’m just painting sports moments, and I love to do it.”
In 2009, Hanley landed his first official job with the Cubs. He was commissioned to paint portraits of Hall of Fame pitchers Ferguson Jenkins and Greg Maddux, who both wore No. 31 and were being honored at a jersey retirement ceremony at Wrigley Field. Jenkins first pitched for the Cubs in the late ’60s and early ’70s, and Maddux began his career in Chicago in the late ’80s. Best Buy sponsored prints of the paintings, which were distributed to attendees during the game.
“I’d always wanted to work with the Cubs. I kept sending things and sending things until I got in with one of the marketing guys,” he said. “It was very surreal because I was there on the field. As a little kid growing up in the ’60s, those were your heroes and then you’re down there on the field, and they’re shaking your hand and looking at your artwork. … It was pretty neat.”
Since then, Hanley has worked with several baseball teams on similar jobs while maintaining his relationship with the Cubs and working on projects with individual players, including first baseman Anthony Rizzo and Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg.
His home studio is packed with paintings, prints, canvases and brushes that sometimes spill onto the floor. He uses a mix of oils and acrylics on canvas with combinations of brushstrokes and layering to bring his artwork to life.
“My art is very action-oriented. I try to make it as spontaneous as possible,” he said. “Kind of like in sports, there’s always spontaneous moments and you want to capture a swing or a pitch. … One brushstroke can really make a difference.”
Aron Gagliardo, art and alumni coordinator at the American Academy of Art, said Hanley’s paintings make art accessible to sports fans who may not go out to a gallery or fine art exhibition.
“He found himself a real niche and his style is easily recognizable,” Gagliardo said. “It’s not something you would see in the museums just yet, but it’s definitely something you’ll see in people’s homes.”
Several local artists touch on sports themes in their work because of the city’s prominent sports culture, he said.
“Chicagoans are passionate about their sports, whether it’s the Cubs, the White Sox, the Bears or the Bulls, so it’s very popular here,” Gagliardo said. “Artists are like everyone else — a lot of them are die-hard sports fans … and I think that passion definitely lends itself to creating art.”
Hanley sells original paintings and prints on his website and through social media. His art is on display at Wrigley Field, U.S. Cellular Field, Busch Stadium in St. Louis and Comerica Park in Detroit.
“It’s a really tough industry, and it gets harder and harder every year. I hustle,” he said. “I built up a really good client base, I attend sports memorabilia shows, I do the Cubs convention every year, the Sox convention, the Blackhawks convention. You start building up a following.”
Pat Hughes, announcer for the Cubs, said he met Hanley in the vendor area of a Cubs convention about 10 years ago.
“He was selling his prints, and I was selling my books and my CDs. I saw his work and thought it was very colorful and very artistic,” he said. “I just think he’s a great artist. I love the work that he does. He has a lot of passion for baseball and for the Cubs.”
Stewart McVicar built Club 400, a man cave packed with Cubs paraphernalia, in his Lake in the Hills basement and regularly hosts charity events there. He commissioned three large paintings from Hanley.
“I like his style. I really like the way he presents his pieces, and I wanted to make sure I had some of his illustrations for my bar. It adds a nice touch,” said McVicar, whose decor includes 10 TVs and hundreds of signed bats and baseballs, as well as numerous other keepsakes and bar games.
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