ROBIN HESSE
  • ROBIN HESSE
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    • 2015-2020 Graphite Drawings
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  • RACHEL HESSE
    • Paintings - 1980-1999
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PUBLIC    ART    PROJECTS

2Community   Murals     2015 - 2022
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Street    Initiatives



Conlins   Road   Cycle  TRACK   MURAL    
 2022

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Conlins Road is a busy street located in the heart of Morningside. I was lucky to have a part in the beautification of both sides of the street to create the 2022 Conlins Road Cyce Track, specially designed for the cyclists to gaze at as they ride their bikes along the paths. My design was located inone of foyur painting zones, each with sa different exciting theme.. Mine was in the "Mind" zone..and I decided on a math symbol design for my concrete barriers. Here I am..working on"Pi"! 

Albert Einstein, once offered his idea of success in life in the following formula: “If a is success in life, I should say that the formula is a equals x plus y plus z, x being work and y being play.”...

StreetARToronto 

"Outside  the  Box"   

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2021


My 2021 traffic box mural is right across the road rom the Hillcrest Library at Leslie St and Clansman Blvd in North York. I decided to paint Henrietta the Hen in honour of the recent City of Toronto Pilot project Urban Hens initiative
​www.toronto.ca/311/knowledgebase/kb/docs/articles/municipal-licensing-and-standards/toronto-animal-services/urbanhensto-pilot-program-backyard-hens.html - where residents in different parts of Toronto can keep chickens  on their properties. 
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The 415 Willowdale Avenue Basketball Court Project
​In May of 2021, I assisted Pam Lostracco with her inspiring 415 Willowdale Ave. Basketball Court project. This was such  an inspiring opportunity to help a needful community  and Pam did a super job...the revitalized Basketball Court looks great!  415 Willowdale residents are truly A team that never gives up!
37 POLES PROJECT 2020
​(Mount Pleasant BIA)

 37 street lamp poles were hand-painted by artists along Mount Pleasant Avenue near Eglinton Ave in June 2020. Many themes were developed around nature by artists ...and mine is a Clematis Vine...
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THE RICHMOND HILL TRAFFIC BOX MURALS PROJECT
2019

In the summer of 2019, I was awarded a grant by the City of Richmond Hill  (RHCCGP) to create a Traffic Box project for Richmond Hill.  For this phase of the project, I hand-painted my design on traffic boxes in two prominent locations  on several street corners. "We Are One!" was my theme. 

The Lakeshore Blvd West Bike Lane Project 2019
StART Concrete Barriers
Along Lakeshore Blvd. West, there is now a long series of Concrete Barriers that artists have hand-painted to enhance the bike lanes on that stretch of the roadway for StART.  Mine had a leafy theme..and took 3 days to complete!
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2018 
StreetARToronto
Successful Candidate for Willowdale  - Ward 18 

"OUTSIDE THE BOX!" 
The Willowdale Fire Hall Clock Tower Traffic Box
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is located at Empress Avenue and Doris Avenue...
adjacent to the "real" Fire Hall Clock Tower, built in 1941, across the road.  SEMPER PARATUS!
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LIGHT UP THE LANEWAY 2018!

Murals were painted on the Euclid Palmerston Laneway garage doors in September 2018 by a team of StART artists. The theme was "Light Up the Laneway!" and I created a Super Moon on this two car garage door. It is a large space - one of my biggest murals to date - twelve feet wide and eight feet high.


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The Bell Box Murals Project in Richmond Hill...
 A 2017 Canada 150 Project!



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Here it is!  The Richmond Hill Community Murals Project was  part of a Bell Box Mural project that took place this fall in my home town Richmond Hill.  I was so honored to paint a Bell Box in front of Mount Pleasant Park - near the David Dunlap Observatory, which was my subject for the project.  One of the given themes was "Under One Sky".  Immediately, of  course, I thought of the DDO which is situated in the heart of Richmond Hill- and jumped at the opportunity of creating a rendition of it on the box. This was particularly exciting to me as a visual artist for two reasons...first because I was able to relate my artistic subject, which is the night sky, to a community project theme - and secondly because this was a CANADA 150 initiative, and the David Dunlap Observatory is a perfect Canada 150 theme. It is a Heritage Site! It is also home to a famous scientific discovery  of  a deep space object - the first Black Hole. 
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Here is the Canada 150 Certificate that was given to me by my MP, Majid Johari, in Ottawa.  All the artists who took part in the Richmond Hill Community Bell Box Murals Project received this certificate. It was such an honor to represent my country in this Canada 150 project.
This is what my Bell Box looked like before I primed it. Bees had also made a home inside and I had to be careful as I primed not to disturb them!
Hard at work painting a Super Moon rising on side one of my Bell Box mural... Some people thought it was the sun!
A long view at end of day of side one, completed finally.
Day one was fun as our director, Michael Cavanaugh, helped mix paints for all of us at the McConaghy Centre in Richmond Hill.
Sometimes the Bell utility boxes must be opened by Bell technicians to address customer needs. I was lucky this day, to have finished my work before the box was serviced.
Spagetti is a favorite dish at my house! I always save up glass jars for paint and today, I recieved six great Benjamin Moore colors to use on my yet to be painted Bell Box.
Savita, one of the Harding Blvd residents is standing with me as her husband Prakash takes a great shot with the sun setting behind us both..
Joanne Leung, Richmond Hill's Manager of Urban Design and Heritage. I took this image of her beside another Town of Richmond Hill official just before we began to paint on September 11, 2017.
Here I am in my sun glasses, attempting to finish side two of my project..This was the most challenging side to paint, as the sun was always facing the box.
Here we all are..the eight Canada 150 RH Bell Box muralists...we are at the Official Unveiling of the project on Sunday Oct 1, 2017. The two men in red shirts in foreground are Richmond Hill Mayor Dave Barrow and one of the town's most supportive Councillors, Tom Muench!


2016
COXWELL LANEWAY MOSAIC MURAL


Many thanks to Cristina Delago, East End Arts, TTC, City of Toronto, Councillor Janet Davis, Mural Routes and StreetARToronto
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I assisted  lead mosaics artist Cristina Delago on the huge Coxwell Laneway Mosaic this August 2016!
The mural is a multi-media project incorporating porcelain and ceramic mosaics and painted design onto a  three part wall behind the Coxwell TTC Subway Station... This image shows the longest part of the wall (149 feet) and here we are - I am sharing a joyful moment with our mentor, Cristina in the middle and my colleague Sarvenaz Rayati ,  also part of the talented mural team ..

Below is Victor Fraser, famed sidewalk artist who created and installed two quotes of Agnes McPhail on the wall. ... They  read " ..Equal rights for all and special privilege to none.." also..." We meet  all life's challenges alone..."
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 2016 SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE  "OUTSIDE THE BOX
                                                                                                                                                   



This spring  in 2016, I was again chosen to decorate a traffic signal box    by the City of Toronto in the StreetARToronto "OUTSIDE THE BOX!" program. This year,  over 280 artists submitted designs for traffic signal cabinet decoration.  This time, I was awarded a  traffic box to paint in Ward 23,  Willowdale.  Here are a group of children who asked to be photographed in front of my  new  "JUKEBOX" design, adjacent to  the North York Central  Library!
I chose the jukebox theme to remember the 4 beautiful "Rock-Ola" jukeboxes that were housed in the Young Adult department in that library for over twenty years..



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Below is my 2015 design of last year in 2015.  I chose to paint a Penny Farthing bicycle for this location in the Village of Weston, because the bicycle is a very important image in Weston and has a long history in the area.  The CCM bicycle factory was situated on Weston road, not far from here for many years, until 1983.  The street lights have bicycles hanging from them, and the Weston logo is a Penny Farthing bicycle...  My box was also situated on the lawn of a funeral home,  Ward Family and Associates!  I wanted to create a cheerful addition to the street corner there, and to create a striking design...

Also, the traffic box was right across from the  Toronto Public Library Weston  Branch where I was able to get water and cool off in the heat.  The t-shirt I'm wearing  was part of a TPL campaign (One Hundred Reasons to Check Out TPL) and "Reason 78" is the Digital Design Studio .  TPL has great connections with the community and neighbourhoods!
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Check out the progress of my  2015 Traffic Box as I painted it!

THE TELUS SOCIAL ART RALLY MURAL PROJECT
 I was part of a team  of Artist Leaders who participated in this important community art event,  held at the Scarborough Recreation Centre on Saturday May 23, 2015.  
As Artist Leader, I assisted a Telus employee and her son to paint the mural design.
Many hands make light the work!
The artists were proud to be a part of the TELUS Social Art Rally Mural Project on Sat. May 24.
The mural design will be finished soon and is a gift to the community from TELUS.
Thank you TELUS ... Days of Giving # Acts of Good.
Teammates - Sarah and I take a break from painting.


PAST PROJECTS
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Nuit Blanche Event  "THIRTEEN",  2013                            The Henderson Bridge Project,   2014                                    Detail of the Henderson  Bridge                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Project ,  2014

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My involvement in large scale public art  began when I curated an Independent project called “13” for the City of Toronto’s 2013 Nuit Blanche event.  Then in 2014, I was  selected by the City of Markham to create The Henderson Bridge Mural with a team of 4 other artists mentored by Katherine Harvey.   

 But interest in community driven art  first started when, as a public service worker in a large city-run  organization, I was asked  to create  colourful  exhibits, which were designed to encourage public awareness and to generate interest in programmes and materials. These  installations were eye-catching ,  contained in smaller spaces with a short timeline for completion, and were  subject specific. They grew out of various community intellectual needs.  One  2003 project  called ”THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX!” was designed to fuel creative thinking.  As a visual artist, this was a topic I could understand  and visualize. I also sat from time to time on creative arts committees, helped advertise community literacy , and offered creative ideas  to priority  areas.  Always, the aim of these initiatives was to reach out,  to  foster self-esteem,  inclusiveness,  and positive change in targeted areas.  Public service work in Toronto Public Library became a stepping stone to later projects  and paved the way for me to move forward.  My goal is now to integrate my 40 years of public service skills and training  into public art making.


Since 2013,  I have been submitting actively to larger Expression of Interest calls, especially those which  enhance  beautification of different urban areas. I am an advocate of anti-vandalism and anti-graffiti prevention. My concepts have been submitted  to  STreetARToronto programmes and in the 2015 Project "E" StreetARToronto  StART  initiative, (John Street Pedestrian Bridge) I placed fifth.  I am a member of Mural Routes . I am passionately committed to listening to public needs and opinions, and engaging in community consultation to create  strong public dialogue with my concepts.

StreetARToronto (StART) Metrolinx Project "E" 
John Street Pedestrian Bridge, Weston   20 Panel Concept  (panelled  view not shown)   each panel    4' x 7.7 '
Sides A and B
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StreetARToronto (StART) Metrolinx  Project "B"     
 Dupont/Annette /Dundas  Junction   3 Part Triptych Concept   3m x42m
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           © 2022  Robin Hesse, Visual Artist.  All Rights Reserved