Written By BRIAN LOCKHART

The Shelburne Wolves Novice LL team will benefit from the talent of a local artist who is donating an original work featuring former captains of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Artist Kieran Hassey, whose son Dylan plays on the team, decided to create the work to help with the team's fundraising efforts. The painting was created using watercolour and gouache and has images of seven of the Leaf's former captains along with the Toronto logo.

He sells his paintings through several art groups and also does commissioned work for various clients.

“I was always drawing and painting, as soon as I cold hold a pencil,” Kieran said of his start as an artist. “My mom still has drawing of what I did when I was younger - Batman and Robin, Conan the Barbarian, all those guys. I studied different books about anatomy and some of the great animators – I took it from there.”

A lifelong artist, Kieran creates fine art and has also branched out to working on human canvases through his work at a tattoo artist. The move to doing tattoos was a natural progression of his work and he started Talisman studios in 2004 so there's a good chance you've seen some of his work around town.

Hockey is an expensive sport to play and parents and supporters are routinely asked to help out with fundraising. Kieran came up with the idea of creating a hockey themed original work to be raffled off to support the team.

This is the second year he has raffled off a painting. Last year he created a created a painting of Austin Matthews in his rookie year and it was won by a buyer in Mississauga.

Ticket buyers aren't just local; there is a lot of interest from people around the province who would like to have this original work. The painting comes with a certificate of authenticity as an original work.

The number of raffle tickets has been limited to 600 and they are $4 each or three for $10.00.

Tickets are available until December 21, and the draw will be done live on Facebook.

You can get tickets via e-mail at thetalismanstudio@yahoo.ca, by calling or texting 416-294-0383, or by messaging directly on the The Talisman Studio Facebook page.