From Sean Monahan to Cole Caufield to Vladimir Guerrero, painter Jessica Boudreau is increasingly attracting the attention of big names in the world of sports with her paintings of professional athletes.
Jessica Boudreau from Montreal is an athlete at heart and has been pursuing her passion for art for several years.
“Being able to immortalize great moments [sportifs] Working with my own creative style and then offering it to people is the best of both worlds.”
His acrylic paintings, often inspired by photos taken at sporting events, have managed to find their way into the eyes of Montreal Canadiens players and their families.
A gift for Monahan
At least that’s what she noticed when Sean Monahan’s wife Britanny approached her to give her a gift.
“She wanted to surprise her husband for his 700th NHL game,” says the woman, known on the platforms as JB_ArtMtl. “Even though he played most of his games for the Calgary Flames, she knows that Sean has the Canadiens in his heart,” explains the artist, who therefore chose a work that depicts Monahan’s first goal in a Habs jersey is inspired.
Sean Monahan and the Jessica Boudreau painting his wife gave him for his 700th NHL game. Photo courtesy of Jessica Boudreau
“He got injured before his 700th game, so she finally gave it to him and texted me saying he loved it. It was a very special moment.”
His portrait of Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield next to each other also sparked reactions on Instagram from the two Canadiens stars.
“Woah,” reacted little number 22 and named the captain in his comment. “That’s art,” Suzuki then replied.
Partnership with the National Hockey League
Prior to receiving Ms. Monahan’s assignment, Jessica was given a great presentation by the National Hockey League’s social media team during the Canadiens’ presence in the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals.
“The league came across a TikTok video I posted where I was working on a painting by Carey Price. They asked me if they could use it to promote the playoffs on their networks,” says the woman, who was flattered by the attention.
“It’s like I just got drafted,” she laughs.
The painting in question is now the property of a collector and admirer of the Montrealer’s work, who also owns a dozen other works signed by her.
Vladimir Guerrero impressed
Jessica Boudreault’s admirers include former Montreal Expos Vladimir Guerrero, who was present at the last Expos Fest in Laval.
She was there to present event organizer and Guerrero’s good friend Perry Giannias with a painting of the Hall of Famer. Guerrero signed the impressive piece and took the time to share a photo of himself with the work on social media.
Jessica Boudreau with Perry Giannias and Vladimir Guerrero. Photo courtesy of Jessica Boudreau
“Many things were auctioned that day, but Perry insisted that Guerrero’s painting was for his personal collection,” the painter recalls with a laugh.
She sells paintings as far away as Australia
Jessica decided to dive headfirst into painting at the start of the pandemic after spending the last 16 years as a teacher and then a homemaker.
“Sport has always been part of my life, just like art,” she emphasizes. “I saw several people leaving [travailler] on their own when the pandemic broke out. Since my children were at school and I had time for myself, I decided to do the same,” she explains afterwards.
Painter Jessica Boudreau worked for some time with a gallery that was interested in her sports paintings and eventually decided that it was more profitable to work alone. Since then, she has been accepting orders from Australia to the southern United States.
The Montreal artist doesn’t just specialize in sports paintings. Photo Pierre Paul Poulin
“These can be requests for sports paintings, but also for works related to cinema and culture or even nature,” explains the mother, who uses her social networks to collect her orders. “If I like the project and feel like I can make the client happy, I accept.”
The selling price is discussed in advance and can vary between $1,000 and $20,000, depending on the dimensions – which can range from 12 inches x 12 inches to 60 inches x 84 inches –, the materials needed, and the visual details desired in the work included.