Robin Hesse

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ARTIST’S STATEMENT

My work is about the poetry and drama of the sky at night.

Stars are born and die. Moons never cede from their planets, the earth is called "mother" and the suns are classed as "dwarfs" or "giants". The night sky can be seen as a backdrop for human emotion, and therefore is a fascinating metaphor, with stars, planets moons and other celestial
entities mirroring human behavior.
I draw largely on location and I use a telescope to observe stars, the moon or celestial events which become the subjects of my composition. As astronomers assign acronyms and numbers to newly discovered stars and planets and other celestial bodies so that they may be easily identified, I use a similar system to catalogue my drawings, including in some cases, a mnemonic name for each one.

The night sky poses many challenges to human understanding and our place in the universe. Through my drawings, I hope to express the unanswered questions reflected in the night sky.

BIO

Emerging artist Robin Hesse lives and works in Richmond Hill, Ontario. She graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design in 1983 with Honours and three major scholarships, then attended the University of Guelph to further her studies in Drawing and Painting. Since then, she has exhibited her work in public and private galleries throughout Ontario, Quebec and the United States. She was elected to the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour in 1994, and to the Ontario Society of Artists in 1997. Robin has been the recipient of many awards, and six grants from the Ontario Arts council, including an OAC Emerging Artists Grant.

Robin first became acquainted with the Circle Arts Gallery and Tobermory, when her mentor and teacher at the Ontario College of Art, June Drutz, had a solo exhibition there in the summer of 2000. Always the night sky had fascinated Robin as an artist, but here the sky in and around the Bruce Peninsula was nothing short of breathtaking. There was very little of the customary light pollution experienced in other parts of Ontario. For the past 10 years, she has been working on a series of small graphite drawings called “Nightscapes”. Her compositions have taken on special meaning as she works on location with the aid of her telescope outside a cottage near Singing Sands beach. Here, every summer, in Tobermory,.her subject has become more real and spiritual as a result of being in close touch with a starry sky undimmed by the interference of artificial light. As a result of this majestic view and connection with nature, this artistic vision has been greatly enhanced and has led to the realization that many are drawn to the beauty of this spot for very special reasons.

At the time of her solo exhibition at the art Gallery of Peel, Robin met Art Critic of the Globe and Mail, Gary Michael Dault, who became interested in her work when he wrote her a review in conjunction with an exhibition she had at the Art Gallery of Peel. Of her work, he writes:

"Given the fact that robin Hesse actually draws outside at night, sometimes peering at the heavens, which is her subject, through her telescope, there could scarcely be a more fitting title for her work than Nightscapes. Hectically romantic in spirit - though carefully and meticulously rendered - Hesse's tiny drawings are magic casements, windows thrown open to wonder."

In her own behalf, Robin says, “The night sky poses many challenges to human understanding and our place in the universe. Through my drawings, I hope to express the unanswered questions quietly reflected in the night sky.”

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