'The Making of the Lady Pirates'

A while back a person reached out saying that they saw the lacrosse art at a retail store on Long Island while they were in town from Florida visiting family. The inquiry at the store directed that person making an inquiry for a custom art piece – a brand identity of a team mascot for their daughter’s team – which became more than just a piece of custom art.

The school, Saint Edward’s School, is based in Vero Beach, FL. The person, a father, wanted to create a mascot that would really focus down on the girls’ lacrosse team. Instead of Pirates, the name ‘The Lady Pirates’ was going to stand out, thus I was tasked to create a female pirate. While sketching poses and concepts to be approved, I kept on reading the historical accounts of female pirates such as, Anne Bonny, Rachel Wall and Mary Read, among others, and found it fascinating. The approved concept was close to The Art of Lax’s signature piece of the classic, ‘Crank’ image.

While sketching poses and concepts to be approved, I kept on reading the historical accounts of female pirates such as, Anne Bonny, Rachel Wall and Mary Read, among others, and found it fascinating. The approved concept was close to The Art of Lax’s signature piece of the classic, ‘Crank’ image.

As a total history buff, I wanted this to be accurate. While lacrosse is the subject matter, the focus was the historical figure of a pirate that sailed and controlled the seas.

The final version was made into spirit wear apparel that the parents shared with me showing other parents on the sidelines wearing them. It then turned into custom license plates, but to me, the real kicker was seeing a totally new version of a reverse print that the girls wore.

I was very proud to have been asked to do the job, help with local vendors in their area and the process of production for them, and seeing the final product(s) made. Looking at that team picture with the shirts on, the smiles on their faces ready to play lacrosse, which I got from the client text messaging me, reminded me of a quote that I heard before:

“That feeling and that moment is the currency you maximize as an entrepreneur. Seeing someone using your product and loving it is way more rewarding than any amount of money in the world.”  – Kevin Systrom (co-Founder, Instagram)

Drawings ©TheArtofLax™ by Vincent Ricasio. Photos from parents of Saint Edwards School lacrosse.