Brushstrokes & Baseball Cards: Former Major League Baseball Player Uses Topps Set to Paint a Tribute to Black League Legends

The artist of the set is former Major League Baseball player Micah Johnson, who stole 84 bases at three different minor league levels in 2014 and went on to be a Minor League All-Star in the Futures Game. Johnson, a player with the White Sox, Dodgers, and Braves, usually used his pinky finger and charcoal to paint the portraits on canvas. Johnson, an African-American, was introduced to the Negro Leagues by family members when he was a little boy and began collecting cards—mostly Chicago Cubs cards. Because of Jackie Robinson, Johnson’s father, who played baseball as a child in Arkansas in the 1960s, is a fan of the Dodgers.

Johnson was a member of the trip that started this week in Kansas City at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and traveled to St. Louis, Philadelphia, and New York. The last event is the Cardinals vs. Giants game at Rickwood Field on June 20 (televised on Fox) in observance of Juneteenth. Alabama’s Rickwood Field and Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, New Jersey, are the two surviving Negro League parks.

Josh Gibson, the new MLB batting average record holder, and Satchel Paige’s cards have already been made available by Fanatics/Topps. This week saw the introduction of a Jackie Robinson card and a Willie Mays card. The tour’s 8,000-pound card features those four participants. There will also be a six-pack of Larry Doby and Monte Irvin cards available in conjunction with the Rickwood game.

Johnson used charcoal to create a portrait of each player on canvas, using his fingers, charcoal sticks, an eraser, and a paint roller. After that, he created background by digitally scanning the canvases. At one point, he put in 30 hours of nonstop work to finish the project in time for launch.

We talked with him about the project.

You were a MiLB All-Star and are now a published artist. How did these passions come together for you?

I did not give art a serious shot till 2016. I was a Dodgers fan. During spring training, Dave Roberts called the new men to the front of the room and asked what (we) liked to do. I mentioned paint because I had taken a paint-and-sip class during the off-season and found it enjoyable. Growing up, I was also a pianist, but I was not interested in playing on the team. “All right, then, paint this of (former Dodgers MVP) Maury Wills.” he remarked.

You’ve brought your art and baseball together on this project. What does that mean to you?

In order to focus on my artistic career, I deliberately avoided doing anything related to baseball for the last five years after I retired. My goal was for my work to be independent. I believe I have accomplished that in my career.

I adore this game. I therefore thought that I was prepared to take advantage of this opportunity when it presented itself. To combine the two worlds for the Negro League cards is truly a dream come true. I can not wait to play again and spend more time with the game.

What about this subject matter resonates the most with you?

The caliber of (the players). They were excellent. The fact that the statistics now cover every Major League Baseball team is fantastic. And I believe that is what really stood out to me: despite all of the hardships, including joining the military and overcoming bigotry, they managed to achieve these amazing results.

Cards are looked at repeatedly over time. Did this fact influence the art you created?

My works include subtle messages that you have to squint to see. It is hoped that this will encourage viewers to linger over the pieces and discover more about the players. That was my primary goal in making this since, in my opinion, you discover these guys were extraordinarily remarkable people when you go further into their backgrounds and pursuits outside of the game. For instance, I read in Monty Irvin’s autobiography that he got into baseball because he intended to buy a saxophone but ended up buying a baseball glove instead. This is why the word “saxophone” is on his card. Given how engrossed many of these players were in the event, that was a really interesting story.

And that resonates with you because you have a musical background and are an artist and were an athlete.

Indeed. When I paint, I also listen to jazz and various types of music. Louis Armstrong Radio is one of the things I listen to while working, for example. The main point I want to make is that baseball has always been associated with culture, regardless of whether it was Black or White at the time.

What is it like seeing your work blown up on this giant card that’s part of this tour?

This was carefully thought out and planned. It must, of course, function on a little card, but it will also measure 24 by 16 feet. Because I had to scan them in order to obtain a high enough resolution for them to look decent when blown up, I painted on smaller canvases. Additionally, because my pinkies can only get so small, painting on a small canvas really gets harder. It becomes challenging to get that correct when I am getting into the eyes and other things.

Why do you use your pinkies to paint given that it seems harder than with a brush? 

To keep the charcoal in the canvas, you must exert pressure. I may therefore accomplish that by feel rather than by using a brush by using my finger. Obtain the appropriate dark appearance for the shadow regions. It was difficult. Charcoal is a highly unpredictable media. You can never be sure how it will behave on the canvas.

So your personal touch is quite literally on this work.

Painting in this way is more intimate for me. Considering that I had spent my whole life using my hands to play baseball, I can recall being able to quickly reach inside my glove while blindfolded, grasp a four seam, and consistently throw it out. I became very familiar with the tactile sensations in my fingers because of baseball. hence I have more control over it than I would with a brush.

(All photos: Topps)