If you’ve seen someone carrying a freshly framed painting into a Dundas West spot lately, you might have caught Reissa Lee mid-pitch.
The 25-year-old Toronto artist has been going viral for her social media series “come get rejected with me?” where she walks into local spots and pitches a simple swap: her original artwork for a meal.
The project, which was first reported by CTV News Toronto, grew out of a string of cold rejections last year when Lee was trying to get her work hung inside neighbourhood spots. Instead of calling it quits, the born-and-raised Torontonian decided to try trading artist-to-artist, matching her visual art with the craft of making food.
Her hit video at Lambo’s Deli near Trinity Bellwoods saw her walk in with an 8×10 illustration called “Deli Beli World” featuring a bunch of blue sandwich characters. Co-owner Justin Leon gave it an immediate yes, trading two Italian Trio sandwiches for the framed piece that now hangs inside the shop.
Her work covers a lot more than deli meats. Lee recently shared a watercolour dedicated to Susie’s on Dundas meant to capture the feeling of being looked after by your grandmother, along with quick plein air gouache paintings of local spots like Lakeview that usually sell out online in minutes.
For now, Lee is sticking to her usual bike and walking routes along Dundas West, pitching a new small business every week, but she plans to branch out into other Toronto neighbourhoods as the project keeps growing.