Today I finished a painting of the Vancouver Canuck’s goaltender: Roberto Luongo.

Taking just under two weeks to paint, this mask was meant to be an easier challenge – but posed it’s own difficulties within the slight changes in tone and colour of the white/yellow in his mask. From whites, to grey’s, browns and ochres, yellows and blues… it was a handful. I spent two days painting the face, and another on the jersey. I’ve left the background white, like the Carey Price mask, because I thought it looked just right like that. It also makes the figure pop out as the reflections in the painting contrast with the blank space.

There’s three modern masks in a row. Now it’s time for another vintage mask. Jacques Plante

Roberto Luongo

FINALLY, completed. I apologise for all of those who have waited so long to see a new piece of artwork updated on my website. The last two paintings have been so difficult, and each took three times as long as my usual bout. However, today I have finished the James Reimer painting and I am moving on to something new … a much easier mask which I promise will get me back on fast-track.

OPTIMUS REIM (James Reimer):

I apologise for the long delay on completing this painting, but you must understand that each painting has hidden challenges – this one, for sure, has been the hardest I’ve taken by a long shot. During these last three weeks I’ve often thought about the weight of the amount of time this single painting has taken me to complete, as opposed to having finish a potential three others instead… well, sometimes that’s just the way it is. I do believe this was an important goalie mask to complete, and especially being a Montreal one I felt that I had to do it ‘right’ instead of giving up or giving in when it became challenging. I don’t like to lose quality just because of frustration, so I stuck to it and this is what came of it. Thank you for the patience.

Next up, Reimer.

Oil Painting

And so I’ve begun to paint my new series of “Hockey’s Masked Men” for the 2013-14 hockey season. They take so long to do that I have to give myself enough time to freely work on them. Learning from last year I’m going to do a couple here and there over a bunch of months instead of them all during one big go. This way I will still have other artwork being created at the same time, and I won’t get as bored painting the goalie masks.

This particular mask took me four days to complete. I don’t want to overuse the black background, but I couldn’t see any other choice for this mask – especially since it looks like a star, and he (Gary Edwards) played for the North Stars, I felt it was only right to do. And it came out great.

Once again, I apologise for having a lack of new content over the past little while. I’ve been working towards an important event coming up this weekend (Sarnia Art Walk). I have still created a couple works here and there. A watercolour of an abandoned train bridge, Charcoal drawing of a fisherman and ship, as well as another inked one line drawing of the Blue Water Bridges (which didn’t turn out well for computer – due to the computer mashing greyscale colours together… making it hard to get rid of the paper and just show the ink).

Inked One Line Drawing

Watercolour

Charcoal