by Patricia Dibsie, San Diego Union-Tribune

ENCINITAS, CA - How do you paint an 800-pound concrete trash bin? "Whatever the kids want," said artist Richard Hinger - except for gang signs, band names or obscenities. Hinger is an environmental sculptor. He collects discards and turns them into art. He is also a matchmaker, searching out suburban canvases and pairing them with student artists. No place in the city is safe from his fanciful imagination. Not even the trash bins that line Highway 101. Especially not the trash bins.

by Kimberly Epler, North County Times 

ENCINITAS, CA - Encinitas artist Richard Hinger looks like a proud farther as he surveys the artwork emerging from the hands of students at Sunset High School in Encinitas. On 35 tiles laid side by side to form a rectangular canvass, a handful of students are painstakingly recreating famous works by classic artists like Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet. Eventually, the collection of tiles will be placed on 800-pound concrete trash containers to add a touch of creativity to public parks and city streets across Encinitas.

by Jeannie Sprague-Bentley, The Coast News

ENCINITAS, CA - More civic beatification is in store here in the coming new year. A local nonprofit organization and the city of Encinitas are sponsoring a contest to add artistic tiles to the posts outside City Hall and the city offices. ESI Public Arts will be sponsoring "Essence of Encinitas" and is calling on local artists to help create works that will reflect life in the Community.

by Jeannie Sprague-Bentley, The Coast News

ENCINITAS, CA - Local artist Richard Hinger had a vision. Back in 1993, Hinger came up with ESI (Environmental Sculpture Incorporated) to work with local high-risk students to encourage them to create functional works of art that can be seen around the city. "It's a revolutionary concept in that you have children creating public art," Hinger said. "But I also wanted to give local artists a way to get involved in the community and be mentors."

by Bill Arballo, The Coast News

ENCINITAS, CA - Drab trash receptacles on the beach soon will be replaced with artistic "CommuniCans" similar to those seen in the downtown area. The Encinitas City Council has approved the purchase of nine of these unique receptacles. Manufactured by ESI Public Arts of Encinitas, these containers are made from precast concrete decorated with 4" by 4" painted tiles.

by Julie Arend, The Beach News

ENCINITAS, CA - Local sculptor Richard Hinger has spent the past few years turning junk into art, and now he is busy teaching kids to do the same thing. Hinger, whose art work has been featured on local television newscasts and newspapers, is best known for taking discarded items that would normally be clogging up landfill space and using them for the purpose of artistic design.

by Gary Taylor, The Coast News

ENCINITAS, CA - The next time you toss a paper wrapper into a trash can at the local park, don't be surprised if Vincent Van Gogh is staring back at you. Created by Encinitas-based ESI Public Arts, trash receptacles bearing tile mosaics of Van Gogh's "Self Portrait" and other classic works of art are lending culture at several city parks while providing an artistic outlet for at-risk students.