Art On Permanent Display
Client: City of Pembroke Pines
Assistant Director of Cultural Arts - City of Pembroke Pines
A selection of my original illustrations is now part of the permanent art collection on display at the Pembroke Pines City Hall. This honor represents a meaningful point in my practice, where work initially created for public spaces transitions into a more fine art context, presented in a dedicated gallery like setting within a civic building.
The series includes six pieces, each interpreting a distinct facet of the community's identity:
City Center: An interpretive view of the civic campus, featuring City Hall and The Frank C. Ortis Art Gallery and Exhibit Hall.
Playground: A vibrant, stylized illustration celebrating the city's recreational spaces and family amenities.
Soccer: A dynamic composition that honors the community's athletic spirit and sports facilities.
Perry Airport: An illustration that references local aviation history and the enduring spirit of flight.
Wetlands: A detailed piece celebrating the natural beauty of South Florida's wetland ecosystems, including the Chapel Trail Nature Preserve.
Florida Savannah Wilderness: An artwork dedicated to the region's distinctive savannah wilderness and the native wildlife it sustains.
Each work was created as a vector art in Adobe Illustrator. While designed as large format graphics for outdoor installation, the pieces possess a compositional depth and narrative intention that allow them to function equally as standalone fine art. Several of the illustrations were also featured as animated sequences, accessible at their original sites via augmented reality, blending traditional illustrative technique with interactive digital elements.
This permanent installation highlights the fluid boundary between public illustration and gallery art. It is a privilege to see this work curated for lasting display, contributing to the cultural environment of the city it was created to represent. For more detailed information on each individual piece, please visit its dedicated portfolio pages.
CITY OF PEMBROKE PINES UTILITY BOX ILLUSTRATIONS:
UTILITY BOX ILLUSTRATIONS - CITY OF PEMBROKE PINES, FLORIDA
I accepted a project from the city in December of 2019 to create illustrations to decorate fourteen traffic utility boxes at ten locations scattered throughout the city. The illustrations were to have the theme “What Makes Pembroke Pines a ‘Happy City’” after the city was named one of the Happiest Cities in South Florida in 2019 and 2020 by finance website WalletHub. I first made a bullet list of possible topics of the illustrations. That list got prioritized and altered over time. Holly Bonkowski, The Assistant Director of Cultural Arts, kind of cross referenced the potential topics with the geography of the area and picked spots for illustrations that reflected nearby landmarks and such. That was the starting point.
My process was first to measure all of the boxes and make both flat projection plans of them and models in Sketchup. I wanted at least some of the boxes to have art that wrapped seamlessly around the box. This required precise measurements.
Next I created a pencil sketch for each box for both approval by the city and size and position on the box and reference for the final artwork.
Once approved I took that sketch and used it as the basis of vector art created in Adobe Illustrator. These would be one continuous image like a mural, but I would alter those files to become separate files for each box side at full scale for the printer to print the vinyl.
Although I hadn't initially considered it the Adobe Illustrator files became the basis of animations used for an augmented reality experience attached to the boxes.
Since this project moved so slowly I had time to think things over. I had always intended to do some light animation using Adobe AfterEffects based on the Adobe Illustrator files to keep my skills sharp and beef up my portfolio. I was also looking at some augmented art on-line and thought that was a great alternative to the "selfie opportunity" scenario that so many artists went for when trying to make their art more interactive. I decided at some point that I might as well look in to the possibility of integrating augmented reality into the work. After only a little research I found a software called EyeJack that I found pretty easy to use. I got all excited and began doing tests. I was pleased with the results and shared them with the city. We all agreed it was a good idea. It took some trial and error and some revisions but it worked out great.
Here's how it works...
Be sure to park legally if you're driving. Walk to the box location and install the Eyejack app on your phone. Scan the QR code on the box and then use the app to see this augmented reality experience on one side of the box. It's not always the same side as the QR code so hunt around some. Have fun.