Like his art, Roberto Bessin is bigger than life
By Sam Bari

Three welded bronze herons by sculptor Roberto Julio Bessin. The artist's work can be seen at Sheldon Fine Art, 59 America's Cup Ave., Newport.

Jamestown sculptor and artist Roberto Julio Bessin does everything in a big way. He is a worldrenowned sculptor, avid racing sailor, cyclist, photographer and dedicated guitarist. When his name is Googled, pages come up linking Internet visitors to his many accomplishments.

Bessin is most famous for his largest creation, "The Heron Monument," a welded steel sculpture of a 40- foot heron. Like most of his work, the sculpture of the magnifi- cent bird was inspired by nature.

"We are at a time when more of our natural world is being threatened by human encroachment. The intent of my monumental wildlife sculpture is to help build greater awareness of the individual and collective responsibility we have to save our environment from further damage and to begin reclaiming it for all forms of life." Bessin said.

He once saw an egret bathed in ethereal light perched on an island in San Francisco Bay when he was growing up. He remembered the vision for 20 years, and built the elegant 40-foot tall sculpture of the heron from that vision when he moved his family to Long Island, N. Y. from California in the 1980s. After establishing himself in his new East Coast home, he met a boat builder who helped him weld the gigantic piece made of steel bars and covered in white epoxy.

The controversial piece had several homes, including a stay in New York Harbor. The big bird won acclaim in as many different settings, even floating on a barge as part of Bessin's "Heron on the Hudson" project during the 500th anniversary of Columbus' voyage in 1992.

The heron then went to the owners of a restaurant/hotel/marina complex in Port Jefferson, Long Island. In 1992, the sculptor met Jim Miller, owner and president of Miller Environmental Group of Long Island, N.Y. Miller became Bessin's longest and most loyal patron, and ultimately purchased the heron sculpture.

Miller moved the heron to his home in Southold, an affluent town on the northeast tip of Long Island. After obtaining what he believed to be the necessary approvals, Miller dedicated the heron as a monument to Peconic Bay and planted it on the shoreline of his beachfront property.

During the same year, Bessin and his family were invited to move to Northern Japan, where they lived on the island of Hokkaido.

Working as an artist in residence for the Town of Oketo, Bessin created a series of 11 bronze and steel monumental wildlife sculptures, their combined weight totaling more than fifty tons. After Oketo, Bessin created five additional monumental sculptures in the towns of Bihoro and Shari. Although all were oversized, none of his creations in Japan were equal in stature to the heron left on Long Island.

Bessin became fluent in Japanese after residing on Hokkaido for nearly four years and added the language to his command of Spanish, French and English. He and his family then returned to Long Island where Bessin found his friend Jim Miller engaged in a lengthy court battle over the heron.

Unfortunately, a few neighbors protested the presence of the giant bird and the matter went to the courts. The embattled bird became the first piece of art in history to be declared a building and require a permit to that effect. The battle raged on and Miller finally won permission to have the monument permanently displayed on his Long Island property in 2002.

The Heron is not the only oversized piece to Bessin's credit. The Morning Call sculpture, a 9/11 memorial of a bronze osprey on a perch made from beams from the World Trade Center is more than 15 feet tall. The three smaller Heron's that Miller recently commissioned Bessin to create for his new three-building office complex are pictured here. Each are more than 21 feet tall.

When asked about the importance of size in his work Bessin was once quoted as saying: "Size is absolutely critical to any sort of understanding of my work. Usually, we humans are in total control of our world. As you stand at the feet of the heron sculpture and look upward, you see it is tall, majestic, and a monument, and you can imagine what a little fish might feel. It doesn't work on a smaller scale."

Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Bessin grew up in Northern California. He attended the University of California, Berkeley where he graduated in 1978 with a degree in zoology. He then moved his family to Long Island, which was followed by the four years in Japan. When they returned to the U. S., they bought a house in Newport.

Bessin's studio is on the mainland in North Kingstown. Situated along the Mattituck River, the studio looks out on tremendous wildlife, including river otters, muskrats, painted and snapping turtles, and a great diversity of birds.

Bessin moved to Jamestown more than two years ago and has lived here ever since. Bessin, 52, has two children, Chris, 24, and Jen, 22. Chris is a senior at the University of Rhode Island majoring in ocean engineering, and Jen attends Boston University where she majors in mechanical engineering.

What are Bessin's plans for the future? More sculptures, more sailing, developing and honing his skills on the guitar, and any adventure that presents itself on his expanding horizons.