Swing by the San Fernando Public Library next Tuesday, June 11 to get a free signed copy of the ‘San Fernando’ poster by Mary Kay Wilson. The signing will take place at 10:30 a.m. and you can reach the library by hopping on Metro Bus 234 to Maclay/4th or Metro Rapid 794 to Truman/Maclay. Trip Planner can offer more routes and connections.

The full press release from Metro is after the jump.

Artist Mary Kay Wilson will sign free copies of her poster celebrating the City of San Fernando on Tuesday June 11, 2013, at 10:30 a.m. at the San Fernando Public Library, 217 N. Maclay Ave., San Fernando. Wilson was commissioned by Metro Creative Services to create the artwork for its poster series, Through the Eyes of Artists. The program commissions local artists to create original artworks that express the uniqueness of Los Angeles County neighborhoods, as a way of encouraging people to take Metro to explore destinations served by the agency.

The poster will be displayed beginning in Spring 2013 on Metro buses and rail cars traveling throughout Los Angeles County.

As seen through the eyes of Wilson, San Fernando is depicted in a watercolor that invites you to experience a small corner of the Mission San Fernando’s garden, with its Roman arch, tiled roof, adobe walls and exposed wooden beams—all elements that remain architectural inspirations in Southern California today.

“I chose the San Fernando Mission as my subject for my poster because people think of the mission when they think of San Fernando,” explains Wilson. “The City of San Fernando (and the entire Valley) was named after it. San Fernando was settled before the rest of Los Angeles due to its proximity to the mission. As I explored the mission before beginning my painting I was reminded of how much mission architecture has influenced the architecture of the state.”

Posters in the series have garnered a Print Magazine Regional Design Annual Excellence Award, Tranny Merit Award, “Fresh” Illustrations Award from Illustrations Magazine Annual, Los Angeles Society of Illustrators Silver Medal, and a Society of Environmental Graphic Design Award.

Through the Eyes of Artists
In the tradition of celebrating transportation through colorful travel destination posters, Metro commissions a diverse range of Los Angeles artists to create original artworks. The purpose of the series is to express the distinctive character of neighborhoods and destinations served by Metro. The posters are displayed throughout the Metro system, including on trains and buses, in stations and various other locations.

Metro Art Program
From rail and bus stations to transit facilities, construction fences and poetry cards, Metro Art enriches the transit environment and contributes to the artistic vibrancy of the neighborhoods we serve. Metro commissions artists to create engaging artworks that make the journey more inviting and pleasurable for transit users. The artworks mirror Los AngelesCounty’s rich contemporary and popular cultures.

Established in 1989, the Metro Art program has commissioned over 300 artists for a wide variety of temporary and permanent projects. Artists are selected through a peer review process with community input. All works are created specifically for their transit-related sites. Metro’s public art policy allocates one half of one percent of project construction costs for art.

More information and free docent guided tours:  visit metro.net/art or call 213/922-4ART.

Artwork copyrighted, all rights reserved.

To request images of artwork for publication please email nakagawaa@metro.net.