Artist paints signs for Harte Trail

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/05/2021 (1843 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Charleswood resident has brightened up a well-loved trail with a little art — and a whole lot of heart.

When local artist Kim Sysa was filling out her membership form for Friends of the Harte Trail, she added a note offering to paint the names of streets that cross the trail in each direction, as long as someone could provide wood for the signs. 

“The reason I offered to do this is because I like to give back to the community I live in. My philosophy has always been to make the world a better place than when we got here,” she said. “When I first started using the trail, I was never sure what street I was coming out on. The few signs that were there were faded and several streets did not have a sign.

“My family enjoys walking, running, jogging and cycling on the trail. We like Charleswood’s rural feeling of living in the country.”

Phil Jenkinson, president of the volunteer-run organization, contacted Sysa and welcomed the chance to have the signs refreshed. Then executive member Jim Anton arranged to drop off wood signs at Sysa’s home for the project. Sysa’s husband Martin routered the wood and then she painted two signs for each cross street at Elmhurst Road, Fairmont Road, Harstone Road, Community Row, Municipal Road and Charleswood Road. 

“I painted the street names in blue with a white shadow effect and added a clump of trees and a different bird for each street,” Sysa said, adding that Anton arranged to install the signs. “The birds I painted were a robin, blue jay, nuthatch, chickadee, great grey owl and a junco.”

For Sysa, the Harte Trail is close to her heart since she uses it five to six times per week all year round, either for jogging or with her Nordic walking poles.

“The peace and tranquility has been a huge help to me as I have mental health issues — depression and anxiety — prior to COVID, which has escalated even more during this pandemic,” she said. “The trail is my happy place. It is peaceful and provides me with some of the calm I need and I love listening to the birds. I am grateful to have an abundance of nature so close to where I live. I take lots of photographs on the trail through the changing seasons and use some of these images in my artwork.”

Sysa works in watercolours, India ink, acrylics, mixed media and fibre art. The local artist has also painted other works that can be shared or used by others.

“I painted two wooden paddles for the Buchanan School water project prior to COVID lockdown in March 2020. They were to be used for their fundraising auction,” said Sysa, who works as a special needs educational assistant in a middle years school in Seven Oaks School Division. “In June 2020, I painted a mural of a circle of courage/medicine wheel in the school’s resource room, and my co-worker and I painted a Dr. Seuss mural on another wall in the same room. I have also made and donated quilts to the Humboldt Broncos after the tragic bus crash and to Nova Scotia when so many had been killed in Portapique in April 2020.”

In general, Sysa’s favourite artistic subjects are nature-related — birds, flowers and butterflies — and she also enjoys sketching Manitoba landscapes.At the same time, she encourages others to take a moment to appreciate the natural beauty around them.

“We have a beautiful community here in Charleswood and I hope that people continue to appreciate and take care of this jewel we have called the Harte Trail,” she said. “I don’t take for granted what I have here.”

One way to show support is to become a member of Friends of the Harte Trail. The payment process has been updated for membership fees, as well as for online donations, through the Friends of the Harte Trail website at www.hartetrail.com.  

Friends of the Harte Trail is also hosting a fundraiser through fundingchange.org called “Friends of the Harte Trail Hello to Spring 50/50 Raffle.” The draw date is June 1. 

“We’re going to be doing the 50/50 every year,” explained Phil Jenkinson, president of the organization. “We’re simply just raising money for our efforts, treeplanting being one of them.”

Volunteers and members are always welcome to get involved with the Friends of the Harte Trail.