Inside Jessica Boudreau’s studio, hockey lives on each wall.
Recognized on-line as JB Artwork MTL, the mom of three has been portray since she was a bit of woman, however a number of years in the past, her artwork took on a really totally different that means.
“Earlier than COVID, my son had a mind tumour and his life was saved by Sainte-Justine and the superb medical doctors, Dr. Venne and Dr. Alexander Weil,” stated Boudreau. “So I all the time needed to do one thing to provide again and this simply got here altogether.”
Eager to thank the medical doctors, she painted a portrait of her son and his surgeon collectively. And on the again, a handwritten message from her son referred to as the physician his favorite superhero.
What started as a gesture of gratitude quickly grew to become a turning level.
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Over time, hockey naturally discovered its approach onto her canvas.
“I shared my portray of Carey Worth that I made after they had been within the playoffs, in 2021, after they went to the finals and the NHL really noticed my portray, shared on all their social media and that’s type of how the sports activities and the artwork type of got here collectively,” she stated.
From that time on, her work started reaching followers in Montreal and past, and it wasn’t lengthy after that when the gamers themselves began noticing.
First got here Sean Monahan, Patrik Laine and even hockey legend Bob Gainey.
Then an emotional second with Brendan Gallagher, when Jessica gifted him a portray of he and his mother after she died.
“I used to be actually simply going to ship him the portray and he stated, ‘No, no, I need to meet you,’” stated Boudreau. “He allowed me to deliver my children they usually bought to fulfill him, too, and it was simply such a lovely second.”
And whereas her work stretches far past hockey, the Canadiens stay on the coronary heart of her story.
At the moment, her son helps {photograph} and movie the work that grew out of his restoration.
It’s a partnership formed by resilience and now shared by the love of the sport.
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