CLear the bench!
David Dossett
Acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas
12” × 24”
Set on a neighbourhood outdoor rink, CLear the bench! captures a familiar Canadian winter moment under softly falling snow. Five children are in the middle of a spirited game of hockey, framed by a row of brightly coloured houses that add warmth and rhythm to the cold scene.
On the far left, the goalie stands still and observant, stick planted, waiting to see how events unfold. At centre ice, tensions have boiled over: two opposing players are locked in a fight, their dropped gloves scattered on the ice, with another player about to join in. On the far right, one more player is going over the boards to join in. Sticks are raised, emotions are running high as chaos erupts on ice.
Hockey is Canada’s game, and Dossett leans into both its joy and its intensity. The painting acknowledges how passion can flare when things get tough—how we’re not afraid to stand our ground—but also how regret often follows when the gloves come off. Through the deliberate mixing and sharing of colours between opposing players, the artist suggests a deeper truth: despite differences that lead to conflict, there is a unifying force beneath it all, one that ultimately brings us back together.
