jbo24paints.art - Art and Baseball

Art and Baseball: Two Lifelong Passions

Art and baseball have gone hand in hand as my two favorite pastimes since I was a 5 and 6 year old kid growing up in Space City Houston USA.

My love for baseball began in first grade - when I wrote, illustrated, and displayed a bound book called Starting Lineup for a school project, featuring drawings and descriptions of every position on a baseball field and team. That spring of 1987, my parents introduced my brother and me to both Walt Disney World and the world of animation, as well as Houston Astros baseball through Spring Training in Florida and games in the Astrodome—known as “The Eighth Wonder of the World”—in my hometown.

Spring Break 1987 in Florida - Baseball and Art

Illustrated Book about my Favorite Sport of Baseball

As a teenager, during the two summers leading up to my eighth-grade year, I spent countless hours drawing imaginary Major League Baseball stadiums, complete with unique outfield dimensions, multi-tiered seating, giant scoreboards, big-league dugouts, and state-of-the-art clubhouses. Inspired by the retro ballpark movement taking shape in cities such as Baltimore, Cleveland, Arlington, and Denver, I even dreamed of one day becoming an architect and designing a Major League ballpark. During that same period, I enjoyed sketching realistic portraits and caricatures of professional baseball players and imagined publishing an illustrated baseball magazine devoted to the game I loved—long before the digital age transformed how sports media is created and consumed.

Those formative years helped shape my interests and future pursuits. They eventually led me to attend college for professional church work while playing NCAA Division III baseball in Milwaukee, Wisconsin—a Major League Baseball city. My fascination with ballpark architecture and design, along with the ways visual art is incorporated into modern stadiums and reflected in the culture and identity of their franchise cities, has fueled a lifelong quest to experience Major League Baseball venues across the country, and into Toronto (Canada). To date, I have attended MLB games in 27 of the current 30 MLB ballparks.

Visits to Retired and Current Major League Baseball Ballparks

While my vocational path ultimately led me into church work and nearly 19 years of ministry at Christ Austin 78704, both art and baseball have remained important parts of my life. Austin, Texas, has provided a sweet spot environment for me where those interests could flourish. Through my ministry at Christ Austin and volunteer involvement with RBI Austin, I have found meaningful ways to combine my passions for art and baseball.

After moving to Austin in 2007, I rediscovered my passion for visual art. What began as experimenting again with pastels, charcoal, watercolor, and pencil evolved into a significant body of work designed for Christian education, outreach, and evangelism. My earliest project for the Church artistically became a 22-piece art gallery spanning the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, displayed in the historic house where Christ Lutheran Church began in 1946. The artwork (displayed in 16’’ by 24” poster frames) served as a teaching tool for Bible studies, and is a panorama with purpose and a creative way for groups meeting there to experience how the places, people, and events of the Bible point to Jesus.

Signature Mural for 2024 & 2025 SoCo Pumpkin Patch

Over the years, visual arts have become a common thread woven throughout many of the discipleship classes, projects, ministry efforts, and community events I have led, and been a part of the tremendous teamwork that it has taken to offer these.

Highlights include:

-The planning, organization, and execution of 10 large-scale community pumpkin patch events in 11 years from (2015 to 2025), serving the surrounding neighborhood and greater Austin area while raising funds for Water to Thrive’s clean-water initiatives in Africa.

-The development of impactful and meaningful goodwill relationships with several art-related non-profit organizations and the church’s neighborhood through participation as a host for artists in the Travis Heights Art Trail ('16-'19 and '22-'25).

-Collaboration on and independent design of original visual art paintings as scene/photo backdrops for major community events and seasonal worship services (e.g., Christmas and Easter), supporting engagement both on-site and through social media.

-Developing and directing summer art camps for children (2011–2018), offering hands-on 2D and 3D art projects.

Collaborative Team Project from 1st Art Camp

Today, art and baseball continue to shape who I am. Both pastimes have provided opportunities to enjoy fulfillment, "teach and coach," build relationships with families, connect with the community, encourage creativity, foster faith development, and serve others and share the love of Jesus Christ. Whether through a painting, a baseball diamond, a community event, or a classroom setting, I remain grateful for the ways God has used these lifelong passions.

For additional reflections on the role that art, baseball, faith, and community engagement have played in my life, listen to these podcast conversations:

Positive Pastor Podcast

A Conversation About "Art, Baseball, and the Child of God" (with Kirk Triplett)

Apple Podcasts - Part 1 and Part 2
Spotify - Part 1 and Part 2

Becoming Bridge Builders Podcast

A Conversation About "Faith, Baseball & Media: Jordan Boessling’s Mission to Build Bridges Through Service" (with Keith Haney)

Apple Podcasts - Full Episode
Captivate - Full Episode

Evangelistic Life Ministries - Engaging Truth Podcast

A Conversation About "Art, Baseball, and The Mission Field" (with Doug Krengel; produced by Trey Sansom)

Apple Podcasts - Full Episode
Captivate - Full Episode