Graig Kreindler

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Graig Kreindler (born April 17, 1980) is an American painter and illustrator best known for his oil paintings of historic baseball scenes and for portraits of players, past and present. He was born in Westwood, New Jersey, to a Jewish family and grew up in Rockland County, New York. His love of baseball runs in his family—he was named after former Yankee Graig Nettles, and his parents took him to games from a very young age.

Kreindler studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration in 2002, and he later earned a Master of Arts in Art Education from Lehman College. His work has won awards such as the Norman Rockwell Museum Award and the Illustration Academy Award from the Society of Illustrators, and his paintings can be found in museums like the Yogi Berra Museum, the Jackie Robinson Museum, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum.

To recreate early 20th-century baseball scenes, Kreindler does careful research to verify details like ballpark advertisements, uniforms, and weather, often using old black-and-white photos as references. He has said he acts as a visual historian, bringing the energy and memories of past generations to life through his art. In 2012 the U.S. Postal Service published a book, Play Ball!, featuring color reproductions of twelve of his paintings.

Kreindler is married to author Sarvenaz Tash (born in Tehran, Iran, and raised on Long Island), and they live in Brooklyn with their two children.