Charles Phillip Hessemer

Charles Phillip Hessemer, born October 15, 1927 as a blue baby, his life saved by the midwife who delivered him, passed away on February 15th in Tampa, Florida, his home for the last 50 years. Born in Jackson, Michigan, Charles was the 4th son of six children to Walter and Juanita Hessemer. He is predeceased by his parents, four brothers, and his first wife, Elberta. He is survived by his sister, Janet; his three sons, Gregory, Kim and Eric; his four grandchildren, Kimmie, Brad, Robert, and Laura; and four great grandchildren.

Charles spent much of his life simultaneously performing two professions at the highest possible level. An elite advertising creative director by day and a master artist by night. Both seemingly unlikely paths during his life growing up as a child in Jackson. Despite a challenging family environment, he excelled in baseball, basketball, and as a Sea Scout, where he earned the highest medal. His creativity, however, remained hidden, only to be released in the most unexpected way.

Upon high school graduation, Charles enlisted into the Navy near the conclusion of WWII. Completing basic training at the Great Lakes Naval Station, he was desperate to get into action. He desired to be a gunner on an aircraft carrier, but an aptitude test he was told to take twice during basic training that would send him down a much different direction. A direction that would forever change his life. The aptitude test, which he was convinced he had failed, landed him in a top secret desk position in Washington D.C. It was there he found a sketch book at an empty desk he randomly chose, and he soon discovered artistic talent he had not known he had, but would lead to the painting of well over 400 canvases in his lifetime, and an advertising career of over 50 years.

He returned to Jackson after his 3 year stint in the Navy, where he worked odd jobs while continuing his development of an artist. One night he was stood up by a girl from the office he worked at, and he then met his future wife, Elberta. After winning First Place in a county fair art competition, one of the judges told him he didn’t belong in Jackson, that he needed to go to Chicago. He soon married Elberta and on the same day together they moved to Chicago. There he entered the American Academy of the Art. Upon graduation, Charles chose the path of advertising, as he had a young family to support. He soon landed his first job as a freelance artist at Turner Advertising, and his day career in advertising began. A few years later, he and Elberta would build a home on a VA loan north of Chicago in the small town of Libertyville to raise their two sons, Greg and Kim. Their third son, Eric, born in 1960, three years after their move.

Over the next 20 years, Charles would become one of the top art directors in Chicago, working for some of the largest ad agencies on Michigan Avenue, including BBDO, Tatham Laird & Kudner and McManus John & Adams (D’Arcy McManus), where he would become a Vice President - Creative Director. He worked on prestigious, national accounts such as Proctor & Gamble, American Oil, Serta, Outboard Marine, and Westclox. He finished his career in Chicago with the political agency James & Thomas, where he worked with the late James Brady, the agency political account executive (who later became the press secretary for President Reagan).

Charles was then presented an opportunity in Florida, and chose to move his family, Elberta and his three sons, to Tampa, Florida in 1972. Once in Tampa he soon formed his own agency, last known as HLA. His firm would eventually become one of the largest agencies in the region, serving such notable accounts as Exchange Bank, Fortune Federal, Critikon, Chloride Battery, Celotex, and Tampa International Airport. All three of his sons at one point worked at the firm. In 1995, he sold his interest in the agency and formed Creative Fields with his sons Eric and Gregory, where he finished his day career in 2006. His career by night, however, would continue until his passing.

During his 50 plus years in advertising, he would come home at night to paint, becoming an even more exceptional artist as he was an art director. While studying at the American Academy, Charles discovered, quite by accident, that it might be possible to paint with a palette knife rather than a brush, and made the bold decision to paint exclusively with a palette knife, one of the first artists to do so. This began a 60+ year journey of mastering the skill of using a palette knife like no other of the countless artists who have since followed. As a figurative and landscape artist, he exhibited at galleries in Chicago, Palm Beach, Dallas, Santa Fe, Hawaii, and Tampa. His work is also found in some notable collections.

Charles was a very generous man, lending his time to those who asked for his help, and gifting many of his paintings to his friends, family, and those who had helped him. He was also a very misunderstood man, as he often expected the very best of people. His family is comforted in knowing that his memory, and legacy, will live through the paintings he created over the course of 60 years.