Tommy Heinsohn, true renaissance man

Tommy Heinsohn, the colorful analyst for Comcast SportNet New England's coverage of the Boston Celtics, earlier this week displayed his life outside basketball.

Heinsohn's paintings were part of an art show at the Arsenal Center for the Arts in Watertown, from which a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Helen J. Weiss Heinsohn Scholarship fund. Named for Heinsohn's late wife, the fund supports and encourages art education for children and young adults.

"I used to have a show once every two years that my wife would put on," said Heinsohn.

After she passed in 2008, his artwork built up inside his home.

He explained how this most-recent show came about: "I had some paintings around and a friend of the director here . . . came over to the house and said, 'You want to get rid of some of these paintings? We'll have a show.' "

So they did. The painter was spared from the tasks of framing and hanging his work.

Heinsohn, whose No. 15 has been retired by the Celtics, was a six-time NBA All-Star and one-time NBA Coach of the Year with Boston. But basketball was never his sole passion.

"I was the kid that drew the Christmas scenes on the blackboard for the nuns and did stuff for the yearbook in high school," said Heinsohn of his love of the arts, especially painting. "I got encouraged when I got to college by one of the Jesuits at Holy Cross. After I retired as a player I started studying with different people."

"Now, I do something in art every day. If it's only for five minutes, so I keep my finger in -- I read, I draw, do a whole bunch of things," said Heinsohn. "It's really my relaxation."

From what?

"You don't know what you got to do to get rid of that bad taste in your mouth from all those referees," said Heinsohn in a tone lighter than what he typically reserves for speaking on NBA officials.