Painting Process | Martin Brodeur Makes A Save With Much On His Mind

Martin Brodeur Painting Borbay

When I had the incredible opportunity to experience the Stanley Cup, I asked Cup-Keeper Mike Bolt (his father, Ron Bolt, is an epic artist) to recommend a goaltending subject… his referral was no surprise. Martin Brodeur, The Devils and Goaltending have been three in the same for 19 years. At this juncture in his career, he is fighting rumors of an early demise, despite shattering records and posting consistent numbers. This, I felt, was the right time to capture Marty.

My choice of subject was immediately recognized by Michelle Kenneth, a writer for Inside Hockey; by way of Fish, an incredible asset to the National Hockey League. After the jump, a step-by-step recap of the creation of Martin Brodeur, making a save with much on his mind.

Martin Brodeur Painting Borbay

Starting out with the basics, Name, Number, Crude outline in yellow.

Martin Brodeur Painting Borbay

Further establishing the composition, exploring the directions for the collage to come.

Martin Brodeur Painting Borbay

A second round of outlines, to firm-up the composition.

Martin Brodeur Painting Borbay

Beginning to populate the surface with headlines… “playing with fire” “no looking back” “Dance with Devils” “demolition doom” – all concepts and ideas I can imagine going through the mind of a netminder with constant media attention.

Martin Brodeur Painting Borbay

Adding more text.. some directly referencing the Devils in the paper, others, words I simply felt applied.

Martin Brodeur Painting Borbay

Redrawn in cyan.

Martin Brodeur Painting Borbay

Adding the collage is all about focusing on the vanishing point.

Martin Brodeur Painting Borbay

Yet another layer of drawing in red.

Martin Brodeur Painting Borbay

Fully collaged and ready to get down and dirty with the paint.

Martin Brodeur Painting Borbay

Filling in the gaps with pure cadmium red; an apropos color for the Devils.

Martin Brodeur Painting Borbay

Cycling around the picture with orange and blue, complementary colors and a touch of the Islanders.

Martin Brodeur Painting Borbay

Adding green, part of my standard color routine and an homage to the Devil’s jerseys of yesteryear.

Martin Brodeur Painting Borbay

Adding a well-mixed shade of deep purple, always an exciting turning point for the image.

Martin Brodeur Painting Borbay

Light blue, establishing the goal crease and highlights on Marty’s gear.

Martin Brodeur Painting Borbay

Two tones of red, finally enabling the image to emerge from the headlines and face the puck.

Martin Brodeur Painting Borbay

My favorite, a cluster of blues.

Martin Brodeur Painting Borbay

Adding more highlights to the background… at this juncture, I was thinking the background would be nearly all white.

Martin Brodeur Painting Borbay

Here is the status shot that was promoted on Michelle Kenneth’s blog. Brodeur’s gear and pose strike such an old-school balance, it could almost be a goaltender making a save 20 years ago.

Martin Brodeur Painting Borbay

With highlights and darks established, Brodeur begins to pop.

Martin Brodeur Painting Borbay

Working the background heavily.

Martin Brodeur Painting Borbay

Nearly all white, becoming true to the reality of the scene.

Martin Brodeur Painting Borbay

Working in another tone of reds to make Marty stand out.

Martin Brodeur Painting Borbay

One more round of colors to spice up the surrounding space.

Martin Brodeur Painting Borbay

Kick save and a beaut! It was a pleasure to revisit my passion of painting hockey players, particularly goalies; which was something I did on a daily basis as a kid, dreaming of the NHL. This painting will be featured in my forthcoming group show on May 22nd in TriBeCa, Painting Resurrected. For any questions about this painting, my work, acquisitions and/or yours truly; please feel free to reach out at any time.

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9 comments

  1. Chris Wassel says:

    That is some seriously amazing artwork. I think the process is what makes this so great to see. As A Devils fan and writer, it brought a smile on my face on an otherwise dark and rainy Monday.

  2. Carla Liang says:

    Fun to check out your new work! Love the hockey aspect and as always I love to see the process! Good luck with the upcoming show!

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