2026 release · Public art commission · Los Angeles County
When Metro Art invited me to create an artwork for Through the Eyes of Artists in 2025, I began exploring Tujunga, a place whose history I knew relatively little about. What I discovered was a remarkable collection of stories, from its ancestral Indigenous histories to the agricultural communities, utopian aspirations, and artists who made this part of Los Angeles their home.
I became especially fascinated by the Little Landers and their belief in what they could accomplish on this rocky terrain. With determination, hard work, and a favorable Mediterranean climate, the landscape became home to orchards, gardens, and an abundance of fruit. I found something deeply moving in that human desire to cultivate a life, to make something possible even under difficult circumstances.
For the artwork, I drew inspiration from the colorful fruit crate labels of early California, bringing together Bolton Hall, citrus, olives, and the surrounding landscape through layers of imagery, color, and texture.
Seeing the finished posters so beautifully reproduced, and knowing that the artwork would travel through Los Angeles on Metro buses and trains, was an extraordinary feeling. What began as an exploration of a place became something much more personal. This project has strengthened my belief in what people can accomplish and given me a renewed sense of belonging to a city that has been part of my life for so many years.
Commission: Metro Art, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Program: Through the Eyes of Artists
Poster release: November 2026