The art of King Richard Brodeur at Ladysmith Art Gallery
Legendary NHL goaltender and visual artist Richard Brodeur presents a curated collection of hockey-related works and Canadian landscapes, reflecting his journey from professional sport to creative expression: from Crease to Canvas runs April 24 to May 3 at the Ladysmith Art Gallery.
During his NHL career, painting served as a release from the pressures of elite competition—a practice he continues today.
“You are always searching…finding yourself,” says Brodeur, who is known to hockey fans as “King Richard.”
“When I learned to play goalie, I would look at other goalies. I adjusted the moves I saw to my size…and I carried this through to my painting and created my own style.”
That search for a distinct voice connects his years in net to his years at the easel.
“There are 10,000 artists in BC doing landscapes, but I do it in my style. My way of protecting the goal became ‘King’ Richard Brodeur and my style of painting has become recognizable as a ‘Brodeur.’ That is when you know you have found yourself.”
Brodeur began painting at 18 while playing junior hockey in Cornwall, Ontario.
He credits his start with a high school teacher who recognized his talent and mentored him. He kept his art private during his hockey career—even exhibiting under “Richard King”—until “the easel in the kitchen gave it away.”
Brodeur’s transition out of hockey was not simple.
“I had 13 concussions, which resulted in 30 years of health issues and mental health battles. I struggled with depression. I can honestly say that without my art, I’d be dead right now.”
For Brodeur, painting is both a creative practice and a barometer.
“Painting gives me purpose, and it shows me when the bad days are coming. I can see it in the colours of my paintings. A dark painting might be saying, ‘It’s time to go for a walk, Richard.’”
Brodeur didn’t thrive in the corporate world: “I’m a bit of a rebel…[But] nobody can tell an artist how to paint. I found my expression through my feelings, emotions, my trouble or my joy. I found the colour of my heart.”
Brodeur identifies as an Expressionist: his art expresses what he feels. In practice, this means colour is emotional rather than literal.
One landscape in the exhibition, “Standing Tall,” was inspired by a drive from Nanoose Bay to Fanny Bay, where Brodeur sketched a solitary tree on a small island and later painted it not as it appeared, but in red to reflect what he felt in the moment.
“That is the gift of being an Expressionist. I saw it in the colour of how I felt. It was lonely, but it was beautiful.”
Although his subject matter ranges from hockey scenes to landscapes and figurative work, Brodeur approaches each canvas prepared.
“I prepare like a storyteller. I have a friend who is a writer and when I asked her how she structures a book, I realized it is a lot like painting. Preparation is important, I get an idea and inspiration and sometimes I’ll take three days before I sketch it out on the canvas.”
He often works on multiple paintings at once.
“If I hit a lag in motivation, I switch and get inspired by the next one…As an artist—a true seven days a week artist—I get inspiration as soon as I get up in the morning and it can also wake me up at night. I put my soul in everything I do.”
Brodeur sees his life as defined by two professional pursuits. “I’ve had two passions in my life—outside of home and family—and I got to do both professionally. I am very fortunate.”
When hockey ended, art offered continuity and reinvention.
“After hockey, I found the colour of my heart in art, and I love my job.”
The exhibition includes two live painting sessions on April 25 and April 29, offering visitors the opportunity to observe Brodeur at work. Programming throughout the week will include youth hockey engagement, school tours, artist talks and community-focused events. Opening day on April 24 will feature a media preview, ribbon cutting and reception.
“This exhibition is about more than hockey or art,” says exhibition lead Cathleen Lundgren. “It’s about what happens during and after peak performance—how individuals recalibrate, find meaning and discover coping paths through creative practice.”