Pico Rivera poster spotted on a Red Line train, part of the Metro Through the Eyes of Artists poster series.

Artist Ramon Ramirez will sign free copies of his poster celebrating the City of Pico Rivera on Tuesday, June 18 at 10:30 a.m. at the Rivera Public Library. Metro Bus 266 drops off near the library at Rosemead/Mines.

Ramirez was commissioned by Metro Creative Services to create the artwork for the 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 on Metro buses and rail cars traveling throughout Los Angeles County.

As seen through the eyes of Ramirez, Pico Rivera is depicted with palm trees in silhouette against a glowing sunset sky. A native of the area, the artist has fond boyhood memories of uncomplicated adventure, when the horizon was wide and anything was possible. Keep reading after the jump to see what the artist has to say about his work. A longer interview with the artist is also available on The Source.

“I wanted to show that Pico Rivera is L.A. and that L.A. is Pico Rivera,” explains Ramirez. “I obscured the buildings to convey that they could be in other parts of LA. Palm trees are all over the area, not just at the beach or in Beverly Hills. Sunsets create beautiful silhouettes whether one is at the beach or in a bustling commercial corridor. The scene deliberately shows palm trees but not the beach. I love the beach but I wanted to paint my reality, my side of town.”

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, a Society of Environmental Graphic Design Award and a Hermes Creative 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 Angeles County’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.