When people think of the word "art" the first thing that comes to mind is a very famous painting known as the "Mona Lisa." Artists are using their creativity to expand art as we once knew it. In doing so we have been able to take the typical paint brush on canvas and change that perception of art by displaying it in many different forms, whether it be on a t-shirt, billboard, car, wall or even something a simple as a goalie mask. The NHL has taken its toll in the art department and has taken simple hockey equipment and given it a whole new meaning. There is a long history when is comes to goalie masks, from the vintage white plastic goalie mask (we all use for Halloween to look like Jason) to the fully designed fiberglass goalie masks. It all began in 1972 with Ken Dryden, the former goalie for the Montreal Canadians, who felt that putting a little team color to his mask might make him look a little more presentable. From that one mask change all goalies felt like it was necessary to design their goalie mask so that it would be one of a kind. In the early stages it was basically a play with colors and stripes but as the masks got more complex so did the emotions the goalies had towards them. Goalie masks became a huge artistic battle in the 1980's as some goalies would hire an artist to air brush a personal design for them. At a certain point people began to look at the masks in detail and realized how much one mask says about a goalie. Some goalies would spend up to $2000 on a design, which leaves us with the impression that money was not an issue when is came down to the artistic and graphic quality of their masks.
Art has changed dramatically from being seen on a canvas to being displayed on a goalie mask. From this I began to realize that art is everywhere, whether is be graphical or even abstract. We do not need to go to a gallery to see art because I can guarantee that an individual sees at least one piece of art on a normal day, whether it is found on a t-shirt, wall, billboard or even a car. Like I have said many times before, even though you do not realize it....ART IS EVERYWHERE!
