DaveART - The Man, The Myth, The Legend

[TheGoalNet]

DaveArt - The Man, The Myth, The Legend

Note: This piece is based on the observations of @TheGoalNet and DaveArt did not participate in creating this article.

For my money, I think DaveArt is the most polarizing guy in the goalie equipment space. He’s probably the most utilized painter in the NHL and definitely by the game’s biggest stars like Hank, Bobs, Holtbeast, and Price. However, if you have ever read the comments section related to any of his new masks, there is just as much hate from the #GoalieCrowd as there is love.

People get annoyed at the way he brands and/or trademarks any of his paint techniques, feel he puts too much unnecessary detail into his masks, complain they can’t understand what team the masks are painted for, question why every goalie needs to 2 completely different paint jobs per season, or don’t understand why there are Swedish movie stars on the mask of a NHL players, etc etc.

It’s not my point here to share my personal feelings on him or convince you to love or hate him. In fact, I am purposely leaving my opinion out of this piece. Instead, I’d like to take a step back, look at David Gunnarsson as an artist and person. Hopefully that will allow us to make sense about why he does what he does.  From what I see with DaveArt, it’s as much about the process and evolution of the mask art than it is the individual final product of any given mask.

There are a few items I think are worth mentioning about Dave’s background before we dive into the masks. First off, as described on his website bio, David has a mind for creativity which is “one out of a million”. Meaning that if he took a DISC personality test, he’d probably be all “Creativity” with little to no other dominant traits.  This type of personality is constantly challenging them self to do things differently and figure out stuff that has not been done before. Some readers may subscribe to the opinion that “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should”. For people with this deep a creativity level, they can only think outside the box. This conventional and conservative way of thinking doesn’t apply to them. Different is good to them and they want to go where people haven’t been before.

Secondly, from what I can tell, Dave did not grow up as jock. He grew up on a farm in Sweden. This farm is described as “deep in the woods” on his website. It also appears he spent most of childhood drawing, painting, and day dreaming. This is a much different environment than the locker rooms must of us spent our time in. This is relevant because he will be culturally different as Swede than someone from North America. I have spent a lot of time in Europe and in no way mean this be a negative, but a different perspective is a different perspective. Secondly, being raised on a farm in any country vs the suburbs or city is a much different mindset. If you follow his social media, you will see he goes to events like lawn mower races in his free time.  Lastly, it sounds like David's childhood allowed him to be hugely creativity and the foster the ability to think differently. By contrast, most times a jock culture is about fitting in with the team or larger group.

(Fly Over of DaveArt's Actual Office)

So knowing that Dave thinks in different spectrum than most of us and has very special roots compared to most of our North American readers, let take a look at the art world itself. . .

(Classical Portrait compared to a Van Gogh)
 

Within the early modern art movement that started over 100 years ago, people started to do some unconventional things. They challenged the idea that what was painted on the canvas had to resemble anything in the physical world. The impressionists, Picasso, Dali, Pollock, and Rothko all took this theory to different extremes and evolutions. Their works don’t mimic the near photo realism of the renaissance painters and their work is not supposed to. This new art became about considering things from different angles, the process to actually make the art, and what the art means. There is a reason is that Rothko is famous for painting squares, that any of us could have painted, and we are not.

When looking at a DaveArt mask next time, try to consider it in the same light. He is constantly changing what can be on mask, what types of paints can be on mask, and how it will be physically applied to the mask. Even if you strongly hate his end product, you must be able to appreciate that he is a pioneer and truly has artistic talent. He was one of the first to get lifelike mural images on the mask, decided each new paint job for the same goalie should be a continuous series, and invented different visual effects for the paint. Many of these items are now common place among masks and have even been copied by nearly every painter in the industry.

(Early DaveArt Masks)

So if we approach his work differently now and realize that he wants every mask he paints to be something new… Something that no one has seen before… Does that allow you to see him in a new light and better understand his work? His thinking much bigger than simply making a cool mask. If you can’t objectively answer yes to those recent questions, try pondering it this way... As beautiful as some of the masks were from the 1980s and 1990s, wouldn’t it be boring if the designs had never evolved? I am convinced everyone can answer yes to at least 1 of those questions and can maybe full understand where I think DaveArt is coming from.

 

 

 

[BadAngle41]

3 hours ago, TheGoalNet said:

Coming Soon. . .

WHAT?!?!  a "Coming Soon..."??? What's next... an updated Optik topic saying "it was all just a dream"??? 

[TheGoalNet]

32 minutes ago, BadAngle41 said:

WHAT?!?!  a "Coming Soon..."??? What's next... an updated Optik topic saying "it was all just a dream"??? 

Not everyone visits daily like they should... just putting an "ad" out there for future content. Should help the less regulars know what is coming and encourage them to come back 

Optik is real... More importantly, OptiSlide is real 

[TheGoalNet]

@BadAngle41 - This minor update got you even more rattled?

[BadAngle41]

42 minutes ago, TheGoalNet said:

@BadAngle41 - This minor update got you even more rattled?

Ha... no. I went in on the Optik topic and posted there about the whole wives going to be sending angry emails. I didn't want to hijack this topic.

[TheGoalNet]

Bump... We are live 

[SaveByRichter35]

DaveArt, pardon m while I go throw up...

[parebele]

54 minutes ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

DaveArt, pardon m while I go throw up...

I bet it would look like his latest mask art.

At least he's got his own thread here. The gear sitings thread on the old gsbb improved greatly when he got his own separate thread, thanks to many complaints. And I'm not sure he's the most utilized painter in the NHL by player choice. I remember reading somewhere that a few teams made their goalie get their mask painted by him. They were told they couldn't use anyone else. I think the Rangers were one of them. I could be wrong though. You can't put anything on the internet that isn't true, right?

[SaveByRichter35]

15 minutes ago, parebele said:

I bet it would look like his latest mask art.

At least he's got his own thread here. The gear sitings thread on the old gsbb improved greatly when he got his own separate thread, thanks to many complaints. And I'm not sure he's the most utilized painter in the NHL by player choice. I remember reading somewhere that a few teams made their goalie get their mask painted by him. They were told they couldn't use anyone else. I think the Rangers were one of them. I could be wrong though. You can't put anything on the internet that isn't true, right?

I’ve never heard that he was a team mandated painter but I do remember hearing he is the official painter for all Bauer masks. 

[TheGoalNet]

I think Bauer does everything possible to get their masks painted by him. He markets himself well and most of his designs get picked up by multiple media outlets. It’s great press for Bauer, think about Bishop’s first glow in the dark mask. I couldn’t go on the internet for 2 weeks without seeing that thing 

Again, I’m not defending DaveArt... just trying to take a factual look at him and start a meaningful discussion 

If you looked at the early Moose masks compared to what he does now, I think it’s clear the medium has evolved 

[SaveByRichter35]

1 hour ago, TheGoalNet said:

I think Bauer does everything possible to get their masks painted by him. He markets himself well and most of his designs get picked up by multiple media outlets. It’s great press for Bauer, think about Bishop’s first glow in the dark mask. I couldn’t go on the internet for 2 weeks without seeing that thing 

Again, I’m not defending DaveArt... just trying to take a factual look at him and start a meaningful discussion 

If you looked at the early Moose masks compared to what he does now, I think it’s clear the medium has evolved 

I'm not denying he has amazing talent.  I don't think anyone can.  If they do, they're flat out wrong.  He is an amazing painter.  I just despise his style.

[TheGoalNet]

11 minutes ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

I'm not denying he has amazing talent.  I don't think anyone can.  If they do, they're flat out wrong.  He is an amazing painter.  I just despise his style.

I think that is a very adult opinion of him 

[IPv6Freely]

Definitely not my thing. Too busy. Can’t even tell what’s going on unless you see it close up.

[SaveByRichter35]

32 minutes ago, TheGoalNet said:

I think that is a very adult opinion of him 

Every now and again I act my age 

[bunnyman666]

Dave has great technical talent but for me, his composition style is just not my cup of tea.

That being said, I have a visceral reaction when I see his stuff. It makes me want to poke out my own eyes after I see one of his masques.

[ULTIMA]

His paint jobs are so hit and miss. I absolutely loathe some and others are quite good.. Too bad HE'S not actually painting them....

[Fullright]

Look at the art explication written by TGN.  Who knew? Pretty cool and informative.

[TheGoalNet]

27 minutes ago, ULTIMA said:

His paint jobs are so hit and miss. I absolutely loathe some and others are quite good.. Too bad HE'S not actually painting them....

As mentioned, this written as an observation. I didn’t interview him. 

Can you elaborate on this more? Are you referring to a paint team or using CAD to aid in what ends up on the mask 

[TheGoalNet]

30 minutes ago, Fullright said:

Look at the art explication written by TGN.  Who knew? Pretty cool and informative.

There’s a lot of different ways to look at this from an art standpoint. 

They say good design is timeless in any era. Something like a Potvin and Belfour fits that description. 

The moose mask looks very dated to me 

[Chenner29]

3 hours ago, TheGoalNet said:

As mentioned, this written as an observation. I didn’t interview him. 

Can you elaborate on this more? Are you referring to a paint team or using CAD to aid in what ends up on the mask 

What I have gleaned from other sources is that he has "apprentices" that do most of the work.
Some say that he comes up with the design and has these folks do the actual painting.  I don't know for sure.
I do know he no longer paints for amateurs anymore.

I am not a fan of Dave's art style but I can appreciate some of his more conservative designs.
I do like the Gustavsson mask that is used at the beginning of this thread.
I think Schneider's NJ mask this year is a pretty solid design as well.

Tangentially related, I was talking to a painter who used to have a lot of big name NHL clients - his work was everywhere from the late 80s through the early 00s.
From what I understand, the NHL got together with the mask makers (Itech at the time, now Bauer - along with CCM) and mandated that any artwork on a goalie that plays in the league becomes property of the league.  This came about in conversation as we were talking about gear licensing fees in the NHL, so I believe it was structured in a similar way - the painter could "buy" the rights back from the league if they so chose.  This artist in particular chose to "quit" and only paint for amateurs.
I believe him backing out created a window of opportunity for Dave Gunnarson to get his foot in the door and come to dominate a lot of the mask design in the NHL.

Kind of an interesting reversal between these two painters.

[TheGoalNet]

@Chenner29 - Fantastic stuff!!!

It's very interesting. It's amazing how the NHL licensing fees have dictated the history of gear. Since they came into play, they have wiped nearly every small company off the map. Without the fees, I bet at least 1 or 2 goalies would use Warrior, Passau, and Sherwood would be healthy again 

[IPv6Freely]

I’d love to see what would happen if they eliminated both the licensing fee and the sponsorships. Would goalies wear Passau? Would players be in a mishmash of gear? 

[parebele]

I agree completely he has amazing talent, especially with portraits. I agree with bunnyman666 in that he lacks compositional talent. The great artists have the ability to know when to stop and all artists have to take a few steps back to look at the overall painting/design. He doesn't seem to do that. Details are great to have but they can easily take over a painting, leaving it a jumbled mess. If you removed half of the 'chrome/mirror/horizon' effect on any mask he's done, I guarantee it'll look 100% better. There's tasteful ways to do it but he doesn't seem to see that. That's why I'm not a fan. That and his marketing. All of the effects he uses have been in use for at least 40 years. Nothing 'trademark' about them.

A lot of the big artists use a paint team and/or apprentices. Troy Lee of TroyLeeDesigns is a good example. THE painter for motorcycle/auto racing helmets for years in the '90s. He still paints, but not nearly as often as he used to. I think it's just for certain clients now. But he's proud of his team and always features them in his promo videos and such. (Not that Dave isn't proud, but you'd never know it). 

A lot of Dave's art is done on a computer and printed on a plotter. It's too time consuming to do it any other way, especially the tiny team logo tiles ghosted in the background. A lot of artists draw on computers nowadays, myself included. It's pretty much the same as using paper and pencil, and creativity and vision doesn't change no matter what the medium.

[TheGoalNet]

2 hours ago, parebele said:

I agree completely he has amazing talent, especially with portraits. I agree with bunnyman666 in that he lacks compositional talent. The great artists have the ability to know when to stop and all artists have to take a few steps back to look at the overall painting/design. He doesn't seem to do that. Details are great to have but they can easily take over a painting, leaving it a jumbled mess. If you removed half of the 'chrome/mirror/horizon' effect on any mask he's done, I guarantee it'll look 100% better. There's tasteful ways to do it but he doesn't seem to see that. That's why I'm not a fan. That and his marketing. All of the effects he uses have been in use for at least 40 years. Nothing 'trademark' about them.

A lot of the big artists use a paint team and/or apprentices. Troy Lee of TroyLeeDesigns is a good example. THE painter for motorcycle/auto racing helmets for years in the '90s. He still paints, but not nearly as often as he used to. I think it's just for certain clients now. But he's proud of his team and always features them in his promo videos and such. (Not that Dave isn't proud, but you'd never know it). 

A lot of Dave's art is done on a computer and printed on a plotter. It's too time consuming to do it any other way, especially the tiny team logo tiles ghosted in the background. A lot of artists draw on computers nowadays, myself included. It's pretty much the same as using paper and pencil, and creativity and vision doesn't change no matter what the medium.

Interesting and well thought our perspective. The one item I would challenge is that he clearly gets composition. The Monster mask at the top, retro Stars, and all yellow Preds show that. I think the issue is more if chooses to focus on composition or do his own thing. If he never mixed in that clean design that everyone can appreciate, I would agree with you fully. 

Side note, that new Bishop mask with the Carbon showing is one of my favorites. I am surprised visible carbon fiber accents have not come into play earlier 

[BetweenThePipes31]

Great Article! Love Dave's work. The PAC-MAN themed mask he did for John Gibson on the Ducks a few years ago is one of my favorites by him for sure, looked really good from the stands too.  I can definitely agree that some of the masks Dave paints are lacking some composition, but i mean.... if you (or your apprentices) were producing that many masks per year, there's going to be some that aren't as good as others. 

I really wonder how much of the artwork his apprentices actually do compared to just doing finishing work for him etc.. , seems like an awful lot for one guy to be producing, even if he is just doing primarily the artwork.

Edit: Hi, been lurking here a little while, finally decided to make an account. Love the site, always really informative and great topics.