#MaskWeek

I have declared this week #MaskWeek as I will be unveiling a NHL goalie mask each day this week.

The second mask for #MaskWeek belongs to the hottest goalie in the NHL right now – Mike Smith.  Smitty was rewarded with 1st Star of the Week Award on Feb 13th as he recorded four wins in four starts, posting an incredible League-best 0.74 goals-against average and .975 save percentage.

The hot play has not subsided either, I believe Smitty has now won 9 consecutive starts!

Mask Week Instalment #2: Mike Smith’s Coyote II Mask

At the beginning of the 2011-12 season, Smitty and I went with a bold new design for his new team the Phoenix Coyotes – if you haven’t seen the mask make sure to check it out.   The mask played on the Coyote theme presenting Looney Tunes character Wile E. Coyote on the mask in a perspective never attempted on a goalie mask previously.

The new mask ‘Coyote II’ is a continuation on this theme, except on this one the unthinkable happens…

(this is the part where you ask the children to leave the room)

He gets the Roadrunner!  Apologies to the all the Looney Tunes purists, but it is sweet revenge for Wile E.

On the ‘Coyote II’ mask you will notice that Wile E. has dropped the old-school leather pads and brought in a full compliment of new gear.

Don’t forget that Mask Week will continue tomorrow featuring a mask from a goalie that indirectly associated me to the Stanley Cup.

#MaskWeek

I have declared this week #MaskWeek as I will be unveiling a NHL goalie mask each day this week.  Our first installment of #MaskWeek is a mask that you were never meant to see … Carey Price’s “Concept” mask

Mask Week Instalment #1: Carey Price ‘Concept’ Mask

Carey Price has been wearing the ‘Cowboy’ mask I created for him for over two years.  Over those two years we spent a lot of creative energy on very well known pieces:

• Breast Cancer Awareness
• Remembrance Day 2011
• 2011 Winter Classic

The common thread with all of these masks though is that they were limited usage and would be put up for auction on LegendsDepot.com in support of various charities.  Leaving Carey with the trusted (but aging) ‘Cowboy’ mask.

When I met with Carey this year we threw around some concepts for a new mask and I agreed to create a concept mask incorporating these ideas (and not thinking it would be worn).  The objective was to work on some new techniques and patterns which would be evolved for his full-time replacement mask.

To my surprise, on Sunday’s game vs. the Devils of New Jersey, the mask that I spent less than two days on (including clear coating) was being worn in the Bell Centre.  Needless to say there are some rough edges to this mask that would not be there if I had known this mask would have made an appearance in Prime Time.

This mask continues with the cowboy theme and integrates Native Indian elements, paying homage to Price’s ancestry from Anahim Lake.

Check out coverage of the mask on TheScore’s blog.

Mask Week will continue tomorrow featuring a new mask for the hottest goalie in the NHL.

The NHL ALl-Star 2012 Live Mural was completed yesterday.  It has been proudly donated to the Roger’s House, Ottawa Children’s Hospital.

It was great to team up with Bauer, and I think its safe to say that the exhibit was a tremendous success.  I am looking forward to future collaborations together Bauer.

By the way, keep an eye out on the blog as I will be posting the 2012 All-Star tribute goalie masks which I painted for display at the All-Star festivities.

It was a wonderful All-Star event, and a big thanks goes out Bauer, the NHL and the city of Ottawa.

Day 2 was complete mayhem with an unbelievable amount of traffic coming by to check out the mural and returning (several times) to watch the progression.

The action picked up a tempo when guest Brian Elliott stopped by to see himself in the paint rendition I created. Both Tyler Seguin and Brian Elliott were added to the mural today with the latest addition Alex Ovechkin being completed right at closing time.

On slate for tomorrow Chicago Blackhawks dynamic duo:

• Jonathan Toews
• Patrick Kane

I’m currently in Ottawa as part of the NHL All-Star festivities painting a Live Mural eXperience piece for Bauer.

The photo above shows Day 1 of the LMX.  Today’s painting consisted of Tampa Bay Lightning’s Steven Stamkos and Philadelphia Flyers Claude Giroux.

On slate for tomorrow:

• New Rangers – Henrik Lundqvist
• Botson Bruins – Tyler Sequin

This year’s installment of Bauer’s Design-A-Mask contest produced two inspiring designs laden with Team Canada decals.

I painted each of the winning entries onto two goalies masks so that Canada’s National Junior Team goaltenders: Mark Visentin and Scott Wedgewood had the option of switching between them throughout the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship.

The creative artists that deserve the recognition for these designs are:

• in the 12-and-under category: Curtis Abernethy of Cambridge, Ont.
• in the 13-to-18 categor: Justin Ross of Lucan, Ont.

Take a look at the article posted by HockeyCanada.ca for more information on the contest and winners.  You can also visit InGoalMag.com for their story.

After what the the 2011 Team Canada World Junior Goalie Masks and 2012 designs have presented from this contest I am looking forward to what 2013 holds in store.

Congratulations to the winners and thank-you for the great work from everyone involved.

For the hardcore sports-fan there is nothing like watching a game while in attendance.

The next best thing is watching the big game at bar with close friends.

Welcome to the WEGZ the perfect combination.  It is a “stadium” bar that is easily one of my favourite places to watch a live sporting event.  WEGZ was amongst the top 10 finalists of ESPN’s 2011 Best Sports Bar in North America.

I found a great description from ribbit (August 2011)

About the bar (from official website): WEGZ Stadium Bar is elevating the traditional sports bar to a whole new level… With the combination of over 90 televisions, ten 10′x10′ HD projection screens, one massive 12′x22′ HD theatre-style screen and a state-of-the-art audio system, WEGZ is the next best place to be than (actually) being at the game.

ribbet’s nomination: This place is MASSIVE. i’ve been to soo many bars and drank so much beer i should be a major stock holder in Budwieser. Like i said this place is HUGE. It has large screens everywhere, it has HD projecters 10 of them. It also has a movie screen in the place which is unreal. We went there to watch the gold medal hockey game Canada Vs. US and it was packed must have had 800 people all cheering and drinking and having a great time while watching team Canada. It was almost like being at the game with the noise and great vibe running through the building.

If there was to be a WORLDS BEST SPORTS BAR This place would be in the top 3 I’m sure.

My history with WEGZ goes back more than a decade.  I painted various murals on the outside and inside of the building when they first opened their doors.

During the years that passed I spent many, many, many days and nights there… building up creative juices and coming up with ideas for new projects.

WEGZ is situated in a high traffic area which generates a lot of recognition of the murals and has become part of the identity of the WEGZ brand.  This summer I was tasked with creating new artwork to refresh the exterior of the WEGZ building.

Chris Mills (General Manager, WEGZ Stadium Bar)

David was able to capture in bright vivid colour and detail the essence of what WEGZ Stadium Bar is, sports and sporting heros. We are very proud to display David Arrigo’s work as a significant part of WEGZ Stadium Bar’s identity for many different reasons but to put it plainly, for the sheer genius in his work.

There are 6 murals in total which are formed from a collage of images based on a sport: Football, Boxing and UFC,  Baseball and Basketball,  Horse Racing, Cycling and Race Car Driving, and Hockey.

Canadian Tire wanted to add an extra emphasis to a new concept store they opened in Bowmanville, Ontario.  I was commissioned by them to create three different pieces.

The showcase piece is a giant goalie mask themed to honour the Canadian military and includes the emblem of the local hockey team. The second piece is a mural of Chicago Blackhawks Captain Jonathan Toews.  The third piece is a mural that combines imagery portraying the identity of Canadian Tire in a collage.

The giant goalie mask and the Jonathan Toews piece can be seen on site at the Canadian Tire in Bowmanville.  The Canadian Tire mural is hung in a corporate office.

I am excited to see the reaction to new CT concept store as well as how the artwork is received.  This is hopefully only the first step in this partnership as we will be working together to offer services such as custom painted goalie masks to customers of the Bowmanville store.

Recently, a couple of the masks I created were included in the series and discussed with their owners.

The Pat Tillman goalie mask that I created for Jason LaBarbera was picked up by the U.S. News Syndicate receiving attention by numbers I can’t comprehend, here is Jason talking about the mask:

The Led Zeppelin goalie mask that Brent Johnson proudly wears, is another fan favourite, here is his take on things:

Over the weekend of November 11th I was commissioned by the Detroit Red Wings and Ram to paint one of my signature Live Mural eXperience (LMX) pieces at historic Joe Louis Arena.  I also painted a goalie mask themed with the Ram branding for the event.

The concept of the LMX is simple, paint in front of an area with foot traffic and produce artwork that leaves a lasting impression.  It isn’t until people see the LMX in action that they begin to recognize the potential, as it receives constant attention and repeat traffic.

Craig Turnbull (Sr. VP Marketing & Communications) did a great job of putting things in perspective

Our relationship with the wonderful people at Ram has led to the development of unique concepts such as the Jimmy Howard Ram wall mural at JLA. With more than 1 million fans and guests annually through the doors, this eye catching artwork is sure to to turn a lot of heads.

The mural is of Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard and is featured in the RamZone of Joe Louis Arena which was unveiled on the same night the mural was completed.  Be sure to check out the Question and Answer session I had with the RamZone.

The project was an enjoyable collaboration, I look forward to returning to Detroit and in particular JLA in the near future.

In honour of Remembrance Day and the troops that have served our country proud.  Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens will be wearing this Canadian Military themed goalie mask on November 8th against the Edmonton Oilers.

The helmet will be auctioned off with the proceeds going to military family support groups.  LegendsDepot.com will be hosting the auction for the helmet.

Excitement has been at a fever pitch around these parts once Montreal Canadiens got a hint that a new Carey Price goalie mask was on the horizon.

The amount of emails, Tweets, Facebook Posts, phone calls, letters, candlelight vigils…etc I receive from Montreal Canadiens fans is astounding.  When it comes to their team and in particular their goaltending, they are a persistent bunch and analyze every detail.

Without further ado here is the goalie mask that Carey Price will wear for the start of the 2011-12 campaign.  With this helmet Carey Price decided to go back to his native roots, where he was raised in Anahim Lake, British Columbia.

Carey wanted to celebrate his ancestry which drove my design elements of Anahim Lake, a native elder, and a dream catcher.

The base colour of the helmet is pink to match the equipment that Carey will be wearing throughout the month of October in support of Breast Cancer Awareness.

Breast Cancer Awareness is a cause I thoroughly support.  Last year I was able to take part by painting pink skates for Toronto Maple Leafs Mike Komisarek and Colton Orr.

The game worn mask will be auctioned off through www.legendsdepot.com.  The bidding will commence on October 6th and continue until the end of the month with all proceeds going to cancer research.

The name Pat Tillman is instantly recognizable, a professional athlete that proudly stepped away from his career to serve his country.

As per Wikipedia’s Pat Tillman page:

Corporal Patrick Daniel “Pat” Tillman Jr. (November 6, 1976 – April 22, 2004) was an American football player who left his professional career and enlisted in the United States Army in June 2002 in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks. He joined the Army Rangers and served several tours in combat before he died in the mountains of Afghanistan.

Phoenix Coyotes’ goaltender Jason LaBarbera chose to pay homage to stalwart Pat Tillman with his 2011-2012 goalie mask.  The artwork and design was something that I pieced together over several days after some discussions with Labs.

Pat Tillman will live in on in our memories, I hope that this helmet assists with that in whatever facet possible.

Following Pat’s death in 2004, while serving with the U.S. Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment in Afghanistan, his family and friends established the Pat Tillman Foundation

The mission of the Pat Tillman Foundation is to invest in veterans and their families through education and community, I encourage you to visit their website and support their cause.

This mask has been getting some excellent coverage by the mainstream media:

• USA Today
• Yahoo! Sports
• CBC Sports
• Phoenix Coyotes

This 8×24 foot mural featuring animated characters was a far departure from my usual style and although it may look simple, proved to be quite difficult to design.

The mural is part of an initiative Texas Motor Speedway started this summer called “Speeding to Read”.  The TMS post contains all the interesting details of this program:

Speeding To Read is an incentive-based reading program created by Texas Motor Speedway to encourage students to read more frequently during the school year. The student body will be split into two divisions – kindergarten through second grade and third through fifth grade – with the classrooms competing against each other to read the most books and earn the title of Speeding To Read champions.

Its a rewarding experience for everyone involved and just to make it that much more enticing:

• Top-Reading Classroom Students Receive Four Tickets To April’s Samsung Mobile 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race At Texas Motor
• SpeedwaySpeedway Children’s Charities-Texas Chapter Donates $1,000 Worth Of Books To Clara Love In Conjunction With Speeding To Read Program

The competition is known as the Clara Love 500 and my speedway mural which hangs on the Clara Love’s library wall will be used to measure the progress of the classrooms:

Each classroom will receive a cut-out template of a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car and the students will design their own paint scheme as part of the program. The cars will be placed on the speedway mural and move incrementally around the track in relation to the amount of books read by each classroom.

Check out the following video to see the unveiling of the mural as well as its placement in the library

The much anticipated Pearl Jam themed goalie mask has been completed.  It is created to commemorate their 20th Anniversary as a band, and is finished for the World Premiere of their movie Pearl Jam Twenty at the Toronto International Film Festival this Saturday.

The base of the mask is a pearl colour and uses reflective paint to show a background pattern under the movement of light.  The rich graphics are… well if you are a fan then you will recognize them

I enjoy my work and the connections I make with every piece, but I have to say this mask was something special to me and I loved seeing come to fruition.

Congratulations to the band for an incredible twenty years of rocking out.

Pearl Jam fans – THIS IS FOR YOU!

WARNING: This is an unfinished mask which contains certain colours and textures which cannot be seen until completed.  These photos do not do it justice.

Like a band who does not like people listening in during their soundcheck, I am reluctant to release photos of my unfinished helmets as they just don’t look right to me.

My brother (who I am creating this helmet for) convinced me otherwise on this occasion.

He is a lifelong Pearl Jam fan and informed me of the timeliness of this mask as we are heading into the PJ20 Destination weekend.  A full weekend festival devoted to celebrating the band’s twenty years together.

Next week the band is in town (Toronto) for the premiere of their film Pearl Jam Twenty at TIFF.  They will also be playing two shows in Toronto to begin this leg of their tour.

The mask should be completed within in the next couple days so stay tuned to the Blog for the completed work.

Happy Anniversary PJ!

During this summer’s Free Agent frenzy, the Phoenix Coyotes signed my good
friend Mike Smith (Smitty) to a multi-year contract.

A new beginning for Mike, and a new beginning for his goalie mask designs.  Gone are the days of pirates, X-Men, lightning bolts, and swordfish…

Cometh the day of desert dogs!

Mike Smith’s 2011-2012 mask features Looney Tunes star Wile E. Coyote, also known
as “The Coyote”.

Smitty has always been open to experimenting with new designs. This time
around I wanted to try a perspective that I hadn’t seen before.

I wanted The Coyote character to be the centre point, however I wanted to continue
the graphic along the sides of the mask (rather than having multipleimages overlapping).

From one Coyote to another, coming soon: Jason LaBarbera’s mask

This Pittsburgh Pens – Mario Lemieux themed helmet was commissioned by the Mario Lemieux Foundation.  It will be auctioned off at a charity golf tournament being held by the Pittsburgh Penguins to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of their Stanley Cup victory.

I actually just arrived in Pittsburgh to take part in the festivities as I will be painting one of my Live Mural eXperiences throughout the duration of the event.  Stay tuned to my Facebook page for updates and photos of the event.

Up and coming Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Dustin Tokarski goes by the the nickname “Tic”.  His helmet for the 2011-12 season references this nickname with the prominent display of The Tick character from the hilarious animated series.

The back plate on the helmet is tribute to his Grandpa who supported him throughout his hockey career.

The Angry Birds goalie mask received enormous attention over the past week.

Highlights:

• Featured on Yahoo! Sports – Greg Wyshynski’s article about the Angry Birds mask and other video game tributes on goalie helmets
• Houses of the Hockey – it was the post by theScore which originally covered the story
• Both @NHL and @AngryBirds picked up on the coverage and tweeted them to their massive followings