“Ellis, D.” is a series of fifteen paintings that collectively tell the life story of Dock Ellis, a former Major League Baseball player from the 1960’s and 1970’s best known for taking LSD before a game in which he pitched a no-hitter.  Each painting functions as a flashback to interesting and significant events from his vibrant and oftentimes controversial life and career.

Unlike performance enhancing drugs like amphetamines or steroids, LSD is a psychedelic drug best used as a tool for mind expanding experiences, insight and enlightenment.  Dropping acid before competing in a  professional sports event is more absurd than advantageous and indicative of Ellis’ reckless and outrageous character.

Exploring beyond the urban legend that he became best known for, his story functions as a platform for psychological and sociological examination into and beyond his era.  Issues such as civil liberties and personal freedom as well as a wide array of emotional conditions are investigated through this translation of his life.

The images presented in this series are inspired and interpreted from a variety of culturally specific art forms ranging from tribal masks to baseball cards; from cartoons to psychedelic and blaxploitation posters. 

“Resin painting” is a method of tinting and pouring resin that hardens to a vibrant, saturated and ultra-glossy plastic.  It is this tactile and brightly colored finish that evokes the shimmering world of the psychedelic experience inviting a closer look and exploration into the issues surrounding this narrative.

Jay Kaplan 2008