This beautifully framed piece features an original piece of watercolor artwork glass-framed in an attractive two inch wide black resin frame with a double mat. The outer dimensions of the framed piece are approximately 17” wide x 24.5” high, although the exact size will vary according to the size of the original piece of art.

At the core of the framed piece is the actual piece of original artwork as painted by the artist on textured 100% rag, water-marked watercolor paper. In many cases the original artwork has handwritten notes in pencil from the artist (be sure to “See the actual artwork without the frame” elsewhere in this website). Simply put, this is beautiful, one-of-a-kind artwork.

The outer mat is a rich textured black acid-free mat with a decorative inset white v-groove, while the inner mat is a complimentary colored acid-free mat reflecting one of the team’s primary colors. The website image of this framed piece shows the mat color that we suggest (Red), but since each piece is custom framed, we are happy to use whatever color mat you wish (depending on availability) – our standard mat colors are:

Light Blue / Dark Blue / Brown / Maroon (close to brown) / White / Silver / Gold / Yellow (bright yellow) / Green (dark green) / Orange / Purple / Red (bright red, somewhat close to PMS 186)

Beneath the artwork is a silver plate with black text describing the original artwork. The text for this piece will read:

This original, one-of-a-kind watercolor painting of the 2003 New England Patriots uniform is the original artwork that was used in the creation of this New England Patriots uniform evolution print and tens of thousands of other New England Patriots products that have been sold across North America. This original piece of art was painted by artist Nola McConnan for Maple Leaf Productions Ltd. 2003 was a Super Bowl winning season for the New England Patriots.

Beneath the silver plate is a 3” x 9” reproduction of a well known, best-selling print that celebrates the history of the team. The print beautifully illustrates the chronological evolution of the team’s uniform and shows you how the original art was used in the creation of this print. If you look closely, you will see that the print features the actual artwork being offered for sale. The 3” x 9” print looks like this:

The piece is framed with an extremely high quality framing glass. We have used this glass style for many years with excellent results. We package every piece very carefully in a double layer of bubble wrap and a rigid double-wall cardboard package to avoid breakage at any point during the shipping process, but if damage does occur, we will gladly repair, replace or refund. Please note that all of our products come with a 90 day 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Each framed piece also comes with a two page letter signed by Scott Sillcox describing the history behind the art. If there was an extra-special story about your piece of art, that story will be included in the letter. When you receive your framed piece, you should find the letter lightly attached to the front of the framed piece.

If you have any questions, at any time, about the actual artwork or about any of the artist’s handwritten notes on the artwork, I would love to tell you about them. Simply email me, Scott Sillcox, at scott@heritagesportsart.com and I will tell you everything I can about your original piece of art. The artists and I spent well over ten years of our lives creating these pieces of original artwork, and in many cases there are stories I can tell you about your actual piece of artwork that might add an extra element of interest in your one-of-a-kind purchase.

Please note that all reproduction rights for this original work are retained in perpetuity by the National Football League unless specifically stated otherwise in writing by the NFL. For further information, please contact Heritage Sports Art at questions@heritagesportsart.com .

 

History

Coming off a Super Bowl championship in 2001, the Patriots missed the playoffs in 2002 despite their 9-7 record. The Jets, who were also 9-7, won the division on a tiebreaker. Then further controversy arose as the 2003 season began with the Pats releasing veteran DB Lawyer Milloy at the end of training camp. Milloy would catch on with the Buffalo Bills just in time to play the Patriots in Week 1. The Pats, a little stunned and confused,  were humiliated by the Bills 31-0. But the Patriots would rebound to win 14 of their next 15 games, good enough for first place in the AFC East (with a 14-2 record) and top seed in the conference.The Pats opened the 2003 playoffs against the Tennessee Titans in bitterly cold 0-degree  weather at Foxboro Stadium. The cold weather affected both offences and each side made several mistakes handling the cold football. With 5 minutes left in the game and the score tied at 14, PK Adam Vinatieri hit a 46-yard field goal to give the Pats a lead and eventually the win17-14. The next week they faced the Colts in the AFC Championship Game, once again at Foxboro. The Patriots defence frustrated 2003 NFL MVP Peyton Manning all game by sacking him 4 times and picking off 4 passes, sending the Patriots to their second Super Bowl in 3 years with a 24-14 win.The Patriot roll continued in the Super Bowl where QB Tom Brady served up his second  MVP performance while leading his charges to a 32-29 win over the upstart Carolina Panthers. (Bradys numbers were: 32 completions in 48 attempts for 354 yards and three touchdowns. The 32 completions broke a Jim Kellys Super Bowl record of 31, set in Super Bowl XXVIII against Dallas.) It was a close game going into the final minutes. With time running out, Brady drove the Pats into field goal range and Adam Vinatieri nailed a 36-yard field goal as time expired to give the Patriots their second Super Bowl title in 3 years, and whispers of dynasty began to be heard.This blue home jersey has silver stripes around the shoulders and silver numbers on the front, back and shoulders outlined in red.  It also features the Patriots logo on the arms near the shoulder.On the left shoulder there is a Super Bowl XXXVII patch, a patch worn by both teams in the Super Bowl game. The practice of both Super Bowl teams wearing a Super Bowl patch begin with Super Bowl XXV in January 1991 when the Buffalo Bills and the New York Giants each wore a "Super Bowl 25th Anniversary" patch on their jerseys. Another seven years would pass before a specific Super Bowl patch would next appear, this time in Super Bowl XXXII in January 1998 when the Broncos bested the Packers. Every year since then the Super Bowl combatants have both worn an official Super Bowl patch during the Super Bowl. (Some keen observers may suggest that a "Super Bowl patch" was worn in Super Bowl X in January 1976 when the Steelers faced the Cowboys, but in that case the patch worn by both teams commemorated America's bicentennial, not the game itself.)If you look closely, you'll notice an NFL Equipment patch on the jersey's neckline and on the upper left thigh of the pants. This style NFL equipment patch, which is a bit bigger than the size of a golf ball, was added to all NFL team uniforms in 2002 The NFL Equipment patch replaced the previous NFL shield patch (which was the size of an average postage stamp) that had been worn on uniforms in the same two places (below the V of the neckline and on the upper left thigh) almost without exception since the 1991 season.