The famous roofline of Saratoga’s clubhouse and grandstand with its distinctive golden pinnacles graces the 1987 Travers poster. Saratoga is the oldest thoroughbred race course in the United States — and is certainly one of the most beautiful.
The original studies for this poster were done out of cut paper. I loved the bold clean solid colors and hard edges that paper gave me; but I wanted an edition of more than one. So, I moved to silkscreen printing. Based on the earlier paper study, I hand-pulled this serigraph or silk-screen print.
My studio was tiny — only part of a small shed — there was not enough room for more than about 25 prints to dry at one time. I actually hung them on a clothesline with wooden clips. Later, I moved my screen printing activity to a much larger facility at the College of St. Rose in Albany, NY where I was an adjunct professor in Graphic Design.
The words “The Travers” are actually screen-printed on the paper along with the artwork. In all later posters the artwork is separate from the typography.
There is no Saratoga version of 1987 “Pinnacles.”
Production Details:
This is the 2nd poster in The Colors of Racing poster series.
17" x 33" (43.2 cm x 83.8 cm) Limited Edition
(The Travers/Saratoga posters are never reprinted)
Paper: LOE 100 lb. dull cover
Inks: Four colors plus off-line varnish
Typeface: ITC Garamond
