Glendale Beautification Process

Cameron Valdecantos

Art 3170-01

Introduction

Phase 1 - The Site

The place that I chose for siting is around Glendale because, anywhere I go, it is always the best place to go. This is a place where I usually live around growing up. I even want to try exploring new things I haven't seen before, like the artworks. Usually, I don't really pay attention to the different things when it comes to public art until I see the utility boxes around with all the unique art styles that are provided for the public.

Phase 2 - Field Work

To start off, I want to take a look at a few artworks I selected. The following are the most well-known arts in my community, and a few that have currently on the boxes since last year.

Hanna Maximova, Breath of a Deukmejian Day, stained glass, mosaic components, 2021

The Hanna Maximova is one of the arts that felt very nostalgic for me because it's like an art that you see in an elementary school that we all used to go to. You can also see some small details in this mural, like the fox on the boulder, quail bird family, and the scrub jay on the matilija poppies. According to the Zoe Mosaics website, the project was supposed to be a fundraiser for the foundation of the Deukmeijian Wilderness Park, which is in my place around Glendale.

(Top) "Ocean Mysteries" by Ava Beckmann, Doran St., and Glendale Ave.

(Bottom) "Regulus de Leo" by Hero Central Ave. and Americana

On the Glendale California website, they have said that the Beyond the Box art commissions have been in the making since around 2013. Every year, they would change the art on the boxes and would have different artists request to paint over the boxes to showcase their own art styles to the public. Two of these arts I chose are from last year, like the Ocean Mysteries that have the eel and shark, and Regulus de Leo, which has astronauts floating around with shapes like the circle and triangle.

The first box, called “Ocean Mysteries,” shows us an eel and a whale shark on the front, while the outlines of the box have other kinds of sea creatures. I think this art is titled the way it is because the ocean is a huge mystery to all the people who have never gone down into the ocean, which is vast to all the sea creatures around. The second box, called “Regulus de Leo,” shows an astronaut and shapes like triangles and circles. According to the City of Glendale - Public Art Map, the design was a shoutout to NASA, JPL, and SpaceX, who are not only pushing the exploration into space but also the development of technologies that can improve human life. So the colorful art in the background conveys a sense of hope for the future, in contrast to the realistic-looking astronaut.

Phase 3 - Critical Analysis

The first thing I want to talk about is the Breath of a Deukmejian Day, where we can see the large field with the long river and big mountains. Each of the different animals in these murals is unique and gives off some visual characteristics, like the mountain lion being slightly out of the picture with its leg and tail sticking out, and a scrub jay on the matilija poppies. Another kind of feature in the mural is that the light sand is in the foreground and the dark browns are in the background, emphasizing the sense of distance along the light blue sky, fading into a darker blue at the very right side.

Phase 4 - Proposal

The art proposal I want to make is that I want to create my own unique piece of art on one of the boxes in Glendale. And by doing that, I can commission, according to the Glendale California website, I will write down a submission for an application for working on the mural on the boxes. I can submit my template of the artwork I created in my sketchbook and buy some paint.

Reflection

I am really intrigued to create my own piece of art in my own local area, and hopefully, they will allow me to work on it as soon as the commission is granted to me. There are so many great Arts around Los Angeles, but in Glendale, I can see a lot more stuff there, and by living next to it, I will be able to show everyone my artistic vision while it's still available to be seen as unlike the previous box Arts that were painted over by other newer artists.