THE MUSE(s)

In 2016, I was commissioned by the Odessa Council for the Arts & Humanities in Odessa, Texas to create four designs as the pilot project for an initiative to increase public art throughout the city. The designs are intended to cover four traffic boxes in a highly visible area of downtown Odessa.

The concept for the designs is based on the idea of ‘inspiration’. I chose the word “MUSE” to embody this idea, using one letter for each box. As inspiration for the arts and continued civic pride in the community, the four MUSES make up this collection. Each Muse represents four exotic landscapes, conceptually connected through the visual gateway of Odessa’s surrounding big sky view. Muse ‘M’ is the Muse of the Mountains. Muse ‘U’ is the Muse of the Canyon. Muse ’S’ is the Muse of the Sea, and Muse ‘E’ is the Muse of the Exotic Jungle.

The designs incorporate distinct patterns and colors symbolic of their individual lands. Each pattern and form suggests an infinity of inspiration and ideas. The four letters are specifically designed to enhance the box’s three-dimensional quality, employing the optical effect of anamorphic stretching. When viewed from a 45 degree angle, the letters are symmetrical, but when viewed from other angles they are asymmetrical. This allows the design to appear as if it shifts when the viewer moves in space. The scale of these designs and the bold colors are deliberate, intended for the rate of speed of a moving vehicle.

Installation is scheduled for Spring of 2017.