ARTonBOXES
ARTonBOXES is a city-wide traffic signal box art wrap initiative featuring original commissioned works of art. Transforming traffic signal boxes through art contributes to the creative character of Vaughan’s neighbourhoods, beautifies city streetscapes and discourages graffiti. Art designs selected for the program will become public art assets in the Civic Art Collection of the Vaughan City-Wide Public Art Program for all to enjoy. The program is being piloted through the Group of Seven REMIXED project to guide the development of a 10-year ARTonBOXES program strategy.
Group of Seven REMIXED pilot
On June 6, 2023, the City of Vaughan unveiled the Group of Seven REMIXED pilot project as part of the ARTonBOXES program. Taking thematic inspiration from the iconic paintings by members of the Group of Seven, this pilot project profiles original work by Vaughan secondary school visual art specialty students. Twelve designs were selected for installation on traffic signal boxes at prominent locations in all five wards across the city. Learn more about each artwork in the profiles below.
To view the 3D rendering and completed installation, please visit the "Art on Boxes Rendering Videos Flickr gallery".
Alessandra Raso, The Hunt
St. Elizabeth Catholic High School
"The medium I used was acrylic paint on canvas. My design concept embraces the natural beauty of Canada. The view of a bear in its habitat catching salmon felt so magical to me. The location reminds me of Muskoka, as it is such a comforting place to me, and I used to canoe through the lakes and see bears. My style was inspired by the Group of Seven and their textured style, as seen in the water and the bear’s fur."
Located at Woodbridge Avenue and Islington Avenue in Ward 2.
Allyson Safran, Mountain Vast
Westmount Collegiate Institute
"This is a painting of a classic Canadian landmark, the Rocky Mountains. I took inspiration from quite a few members of the Group of Seven, especially the painting called "Hills of Killarney" by the artist A.Y. Jackson. I was inspired by the vast depth of the mountains and the sharp lighting and wanted to give my more realistic interpretation, swapping out soft round shapes for sharper, rougher mountains. I used acrylic on a canvas board to create a good sense of depth and layering. I wanted a good sense of form and shape, done with a sharper and more dramatic divide between light and dark, and with colour, using warm light contrasting with a cool shadow."
Located at Woodbridge Avenue and Kipling Avenue in Ward 2.
Anna Ladizginsky, Twine
St. Elizabeth Catholic High School
"I wanted to incorporate the Group of Seven’s use of texture, specifically, J.E.H. Macdonald’s interesting way of adding colour to emphasize certain forms in his landscapes. One of my main focuses was to create a sense of dynamic movement. Through the composition and the direction of flow seen in the branches and fish, I wanted to show how nature is connected (e.g., life cycle) and how humanity is intertwined with nature, represented by the person whose hair is entangled in the tree. The many sides of the box will be linked through the branches and show connectivity across the box."
Located at Famous Avenue and Colossus Drive in Ward 5.
Caia Rotman, Peggy
Westmount Collegiate Institute
"My landscape is inspired by my time spent in Nova Scotia. I went on several trips to see the stunning province when I used to visit my dad at work. I took many landscape photos each time, including my reference for this piece. I experimented with acrylic paints to obtain a satisfying stylized look reminiscent of paintings by the Group of Seven. I was inspired by the Group's use of more simplified forms to capture the atmosphere of a setting, as well as their use of colour. I love exaggerating colours, and I think that the more experimental colour scheme here effectively complements the abstract forms while keeping each element distinct and visible."
Located at Ilan Ramon Boulevard and Lebovic Campus Drive in Ward 4.
Cailin Sadecka, Ethereality
St. Elizabeth Catholic High School
"The Group of Seven focused on representing Canada’s hidden charm, and just like its citizens, Canada is a wonderfully diverse and beautiful country. Filled with plains, mountains, valleys, and forests, I believed that the only way to truly capture the spirit of the Canadian landscape was to show a fair representation of its diversity. Vibrancy of colour and texture was the main focus of this painting, from which I drew a lot of inspiration from both nature and various artists including Tom Thomson, David Langevin, and Randy Hayashi. The use of acrylic paint provided ample opportunity to explore Canada’s individual landscape and successfully bring through the spirit of Canada."
Located at Woodbridge Avenue and Clarence Street in Ward 2.
Daniel Zhang, Muskoka Woods
Westmount Collegiate Institute
"My design is an illustration of the Muskoka woods, a municipality in Ontario. I took inspiration from J.E.H Macdonald’s fluid and clean art style, especially in his Mist Fantasy piece. My concept was to capture the secluded yet comforting atmosphere of Muskoka, by stylizing a lakeside landscape from the perspective of a canoe, a traditional form of Indigenous travel and art. I painted this piece digitally using Procreate and Photoshop, remodelling the Group of Seven in a more contemporary fashion. I painted using a sharp and layered style, using layers of different colours to create value rather than blending colours together."
Located at Chrislea Road and Northview Boulevard in Ward 3.
Hailey Shema, Joy
Westmount Collegiate Institute
"My design is based on a picture I took from my own home when the sun was rising. When I think of Vaughan, I think of my neighbourhood (Thornhill) and the beautiful suburban views from my window. I portrayed the whimsical bright energy it brings me through the cartoon-like organic shapes and bright colour scheme, using a mixture of acrylic paint and digital touch-ups to make up my landscape. My hope for this design is that even if viewers are not aware of what neighbourhood it is, they feel the nostalgic bright feeling the landscape should give off."
Located at Melville Avenue and Springside Road in Ward 1.
Kaitlyn Hsieh, Wilderness
St. Elizabeth Catholic High School
"In this digital piece, I wanted to incorporate the vibrant warm colors of many Group of Seven landscape paintings. It includes simplified tall standing trees, animals on each side (each animal commonly seen in Canada has become a part of the country's identity), and warm bright colors in the background contrasting with the cool colors in the foreground. I started with a simple grayscale painting, then used a gradient map to add on the base colors, contrasting colors, animals, and final details. The piece has four main focal points for each side of the box: the front is a moose, the back is a deer, and the sides are a blue jay and a squirrel."
Located at Woodbridge Avenue and the Market Lane Shopping Centre in Ward 2.
Lorenzo Pereira Misiunas, The Lone Boat
St. Elizabeth Catholic High School
"This design is inspired by the Canadian landscape, similar to how the Group of Seven indeed showed the beauty of the Canadian landscape. I used Canadian mountains and lakes as inspiration and added a boat and dock to make it seem like there is civilization. The art techniques used include a digital pen, vibrant colours, and blur tools for the water to show motion. The blue colours show the cold weather and are meant to feel refreshing to the viewer. Overall, I wanted to illustrate the union between Canadian nature and people."
Located at Clark Avenue and New Westminster Drive in Ward 5.
Maria Suzdaleva, The Calmest Hour
St. Elizabeth Catholic High School
"My design created in Illustrator, has a stained-glass effect. I was inspired by many landscapes from the Group of Seven and chose the idea of humans corresponding with nature in a calm, peaceful way. It represents nature, showing the beauty of our country–including forests, mountains, ocean shores–and its many jaw-dropping colours. There are two coasts in this artwork and the only thing separating them is a crystal-clear lake in its calm state. An Indigenous girl is crossing over, travelling with her dog in search of inspiration and adventure. I depicted the beautiful and majestic nature of Canada through both digital and traditional canvas."
Located at Major Mackenzie Drive and Keele Street in Ward 1.
Marni Pellicane, Beauty of Banff
Westmount Collegiate Institute
"My inspiration was Banff National Park, specifically Lake Louise in Alberta, one of the most beautiful landscapes in Canada. I have always wanted to visit and skate on Lake Louise's water. I chose to use digital media because I have recently been more comfortable using it and believe that for this project specifically, a digital piece would look better. The challenge I faced using this media was the amount of work it took to convey the reflection of the mountains and the trees requiring a lot of experimentation using various colours and my personal art style. My piece displays Canada's true beauty."
Located at Apple Mill Road and Millway Avenue in Ward 4.
Rana Silakhori, Snowy Serenity
Westmount Collegiate Institute
"Vaughan is much less dominated by tall buildings than other cities and is a mix of small clusters of buildings surrounded by bustling suburbia. Using Procreate, I combined my style with the Group of Seven, especially Lawren Harris’ series of snow-covered houses, mimicking his wintertime drawing style and re-interpreting how Vaughan's architecture would look in that setting. The city area includes structures that resemble those at the Vaughan Metropolitan Center, and an airplane demonstrates the city's growing immigrant community; and how many people, including myself, come to this city to find a home. Using distinctive textured brushes and a canvas overlay, in the spirit of the Group, I tried to convey the effect of painting on canvas rather than digital media."
Located at Yonge Street and Centre Street in Ward 5.