A Baseball Card Artist: What he Does & Why

By LaVern Brock
Updated: April 5, 2010

Baseball cards have been a part of “America’s national pastime” since the late 1800s. In a sport that loves it’s past as much as it’s present, baseball cards have become a big part of recording the game’s history and traditions.

What’s more American than a kid collecting baseball cards? Riding your bike to the store to buy a pack of cards, hoping to find your favorite player’s card while enjoying a really bad stick of gum.

Have you ever wondered where all those cards are now? In a box, buried in the garage? Somewhere in your parent’s attic? Or maybe they were thrown away years ago? What would be the value of your childhood collection today? For most people the sentimental value alone would be priceless…

My name is LaVern Brock. I’m an artist that combines my passion for baseball with my artistic talent to create Baseball card ART. Large collages made entirely with original baseball cards. You can see samples at www.baseballcardart.com.

For the past 8 years I’ve worked with some of the biggest names in baseball to create great pieces of original memorabilia. Scott Boras, Greg Maddux, Upper Deck, as well as organizations like the San Diego Padres, The Hall of Champions Sports Museum and numerous corporations, galleries and baseball fans are collectors of my art.

Each picture is custom made, using ONLY original baseball cards. A lot of people ask me if I ever use VALUABLE cards to create my pictures. The answer is YES!!! If a life-long dodger fan wanted a custom piece that included all of the Dodger greats, how could I NOT use an original Sandy Koufax card? Part of what makes each picture special is that I DO use original cards. From the legendary players, to the obscure. From the loved players, to the hated (I almost always include a Bill Buckner card in every Red Sox piece I create). When people order a custom piece and see cards that they haven’t see since they were stuck in the spokes of their bikes, it often brings back memories of simpler times and a renewed love for baseball cards.

As an artist with a background in graphic design, I’ve always loved the look of baseball cards. After graduating art school, and looking at options ranging from advertising illustration to fine art, I decided to combine my love of baseball with my artistic talents. What I’ve developed is very unique to not only the art community, but to the memorabilia industry as well.

Over the years, the variety, both in the number of companies producing baseball cards and the styles and designs have increased dramatically. In each piece, I try to use as big a variety of cards as I can. I usually supply all the baseball cards for each piece. From the 1940s to current players, or even cards limited to a specific era, I can usually find any and all cards that a customer wants included in their piece.

Some of the most popular pieces I create are the jersey replica pieces. Each piece is an exact copy of a full size baseball jersey; measuring 42”x48”. You can see samples under the “portfolio section” of my website… www.baseballcardart.com I can create jerseys from any team, put on any name or number, or create custom logos for the front of a jersey. I also use baseball cards to create all types of custom designs or custom and corporate logos. If you have any questions, comments, or would like to discuss having a custom piece created, please contact me though my website (www.baseballcardart.com) or email me at [email protected].

Hopefully you can see the love I have for baseball, it’s present day players, as well as all the history of the game in each piece I create. Each picture takes countless hours to make, and if I didn’t love baseball I don’t know if I would have to patience to keep doing it.