YORKTON - The Saskatchewan Rush are debuting new Rush Reimagined jerseys March 29, against the Colorado Mammoth.
The design is by Saskatchewan artist Isaac Thomas.
Thomas, originally from Kamsack, Sask., is a self-taught graphic designer and illustrator who owns and operates Glad Line Graphic Design based in Saskatoon.
Thomas told Yorkton This Week the opportunity to create the jersey artwork came as something of a surprise.
“I’m not actually sure how they chose me specifically . . . but I’m lucky that they did,” he said in a recent telephone interview. “I do get a lot of random work usually, but it’s always a surprise when I get random work.”
As an artist Thomas said it has always been an important part of his life.
“I’ve been doing art my whole life,” he said, adding it was his best marks in school back in Kamsack where he attended school from Grade 2 -12.
Thomas said some people are simply more artistically inclined – and he is among that group.
“Certain brains work certain ways. It’s how my brain works,” he said.
As for the jersey artwork, Thomas said while the team gave him few constraints in terms of design – time was short.
“They had a pretty quick turn around for me,” he said, adding ultimately “it was enough time. Obviously I got it done.”
With time limited Thomas said he focused on a style he knows well, line work.
“It helped me do details,” he said of the style.
This is the second year for the creation of ‘Rush Reimagined’ jerseys, the inaugural effort by a First Nations artist in 2024, and Thomas said he took some inspiration from that effort.
In the end Thomas said he focused on core Saskatchewan Prairie images such as grass, the river, and of course the bison now the regular Rush logo.
Thomas said there is certainly an Indigenous-vibe to the work because the nature elements resonate that way.
The various images are incorporated over the entire jersey just not the chest area.
Working with a template on his computer the artist said he basically knew “what it would look like,” but he was still a little apprehensive hoping “the colours came out vibrantly enough” and that the detailed line work “stood out enough.”
“When I saw it it was exactly how I wanted it to turn out . . . It’s pretty exciting. To see it is a whole different thing.”
Having been asked to do the art is also exciting career wise, said Thomas.
“Obviously the Rush have a big following,” he said, adding that puts a lot of eyes on his art and may create more opportunities in the future.
Rush Reimagined also includes a clothing line that fans can find in store at the FEZ or by shopping online.
After the team wears the jerseys on March 29, the club will auction the sweaters with proceeds going towards Meewasin Valley Authority, a non-profit organization that exists to ensure a healthy and vibrant river valley, with a balance between human use and conservation, for the benefit of present and future generations, in Saskatoon and area.
