'Paint Lady' transforms Schomberg crosswalks into art (Yorkregion.com)

Lisa Grealish's designs celebrate and reflect the proud, agricultural heritage of the village

Yorkregion.com
November 8, 2019
Aaron Kim

King Township installed three crosswalk artworks on the Schomberg Main Street aimed at reflecting the heritage and culture of the village.

Featuring large pumpkins, strawberries and turtles crossing the roads, the artwork is part of the ongoing Schomberg revitalization project.

“We are delighted to be seeing the Schomberg Main Street Revitalization strategy come to life,” said Mayor Steve Pellegrini. “Activities like this crosswalk are perfectly aligned with King Township’s new official plan, which has committed to maintaining the unique identities and small town character of each of our villages.”

The design of the art came from various submissions from Schomberg residents and businesses through a competition that took place in spring. As the winner of the competition, Schomberg has chosen the design of Main Street resident Lisa Grealish to be installed on Schomberg’s Main Street.

“I really like inspiring creativity in the community,” said Grealish. “Moving from a large city to a small town, I really appreciate being a part of such an engaged community. I am delighted to see my designs brought to life.”

Lisa Grealish is a local resident of Schomberg, who is active in the community, taking part in various community events such as the Scarecrow competitions. Known as “The Paint Lady,” Lisa Grealish offers painting classes in her studio in Schomberg.

According to Margaret Hastings, president of Clear Impact, Grealish’s designs are meant to celebrate and reflect the proud, agricultural heritage of Schomberg in the form of nature images. With vibrant colours, these caricatures of the produce of Schomberg contained Grealish’s personal style.

On one crosswalk, pictures of strawberries and salad graced Main Street, representing the spring crops while pictures of pumpkins and carrots were printed on another crosswalk, which represented the fall harvest. The crops featured in the design were meticulously selected to represent Schomberg’s agricultural region, as well as the Holland Marsh.

The crosswalk of Dr. Kay Drive features images of lily pads, cat tails and turtles. A crosswalk commonly used for crossing by turtles, the design of the turtles are meant to reflect one of the prominent purposes of Dr. Kay Drive.

It also aims to serve as a reminder for drivers to watch out for turtles crossing the street.

“It was well done, it adds to the character of the town and I did read about how it represents Schomberg,” said Mary Dove, a Schoenberg resident.

However, a few residents did express that they were not impressed by the crosswalk art, and saw it as a waste of tax dollars.

Schomberg received $45,000 from the provincial government through Ontario's initiatives dedicated to main streets. The installation of the artworks were funded through the grant.