Brightening up the commuter’s day

THERE are other rewards for using mass transit besides saving gas.

Those who take advantage of the new 14-mile, $350-million Metro Orange Line -- the first mass-transit line entirely within the San Fernando Valley -- will find art along the way.

The work of 15 California artists will be incorporated into 12 of the 13 stations along the bus-only line extending between North Hollywood and Woodland Hills (it opens Saturday). Their artwork includes the designs of elliptical terrazzo pavings on the platforms as well as of porcelain steel art panels and sculpted seating that are visible to auto and pedestrian traffic.

Artists received $10,000 for their work on the $595,000 project, paid for with percent-for-art funds.

Venice artist Renee Petropoulos, the lead artist on the project, says the project differs from the artwork included in the design of the Metro subway stations, which features a different style for each stop. “This forms an entity as a whole,” Petropoulos says. “One part of each artist’s work is on the ground, and the other part is a porcelain enamel panel that faces the street.”

The artists include Jud Fine, Jody Zellen, Phung Huynh, Roxene Rockwell, John O’Brien and Sandow Birk. Maya Emsden -- the Metro’s deputy executive officer of creative services, who oversees the Metro Art Program -- says the idea was to include both established and emerging artists who had in common that they did not ordinarily do public art. “We were trying not to get the standard public art artists,” she says.