FLOURTOWN, Pa. (WLVT) — For the last 10 years, Montgomery County-based artist Daniel Duffy has found a unique way to honor Philly sports.
He calls it the "Art of Words."
"It all started to impress my wife," Duffy told PBS39. "We were dating in 2008. She’s a huge Phillies fan. I had a job, but I didn’t make a lot of money. She’s from Wayne, so I was like, how does a guy from Lansdale impress a girl from Wayne?"
Duffy creates art from words like sports stats, lyrics and famous speeches. His journey began with a tribute to the Philadelphia Phillies.
"I took an old art project idea, where you write tiny words and make an image," Duffy explained. "My goal was to write out the entire baseball season. I wrote out the dates, the opponents and scores for the championship season."
Inspired by his now wife, Jessica, Duffy began to showcase his work at local art shows.
"The first five years were tough. I was going to shows like the Jenkintown Arts Festival and the Manayunk Arts Festival. Of course, with Covid-19, we’re a web-based company only right now," said Duffy. "Some of my more popular pieces are the sports pieces. We’re crazy about our Philadelphia sports teams!"
His work celebrates sports milestones and characters, like Gritty from the Philadelphia Flyers. Another sports piece features all of Penn State's wins since Beaver Stadium was built.
He's even expanded to sports teams around the country. His tribute to the New York Yankees, featuring their all-time roster, was spotlighted by the New York Post.
But lately, Duffy has had something else to celebrate. Two weeks ago, he and his wife welcomed their son, Vaughn, into the family.
He shared this advice for aspiring creators: "Follow your passion. Don’t bite my style, come up with your own style. Remember that you’re making this for other people, so be inspired by them, and they will reward you in the end."
Visit artofwords.com to check out and support Duffy's work.
You can watch the video version of this story during PBS39 News Tonight on Friday, Jul. 17, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. on PBS39.