Main St and Spindrift

• Artist: Becky Patterson
  
  
  • Biography:
    Becky is a lifelong resident of WNY and creative professional with over 20 years of experience in graphic design, branding, illustrator and fine art. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from Daemen College in 2004 and currently works as an independent multidisciplinary artist from her home in North Tonawanda. Becky’s passion lies in serving the community through art and nurturing the talents of young artists and designers. Becky’s illustration approach combines a mix of digital and hand-drawn elements, creating a distinct artistic style.
  
  
  • Inspiration:
    My goal was to provide a vibrant spot of joy for passers by. I wanted a design that would be fun and playful, colorful and engaging. I developed the idea of a vertical aquarium, complete with bright coral, flowing plants and endearingly quirky fish characters. I wanted to create something that would bring a smile to the faces of adults and children alike. Details like the underbite of the fish, the school of minnows, the glimmer of the eyes, the polka dots on the fish, bubbles floating up to the imagined surface…. These all work together to bring viewers into a joyful exploration of playful sea life.

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Sweet Home Rd and Rensch

• Artist: Kim Gryckiewicz
  
  
  • Biography:
    Kim has been covering the canvas since 6th grade and continues to bring her faith into her art to encourage her viewers to reflect on their relationship to God. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Daemen College in 2015 after creating an award-winning senior show. As a resident of Buffalo, NY, she has participated in a variety of local art shows and has won honors for her work over the years. She has painted three traffic boxes so far and continues to pursue her career as a Professional Artist.
  
  
  • Inspiration:
    Libraries are an essential piece to any town. They are a gathering place for children to learn and grow. They are the foundation for a student organizing a thesis. They are the battleground for the meetings of the minds. I cannot stress enough the importance of the written word in a digital age. Something that has been written, printed, and published has to be more deliberate and purposeful because of the long process it will go through. It also remains as it is written through time and change even if another publication comes along bearing its name. In an age where things can be copy, pasted, deleted, or cut, I cling tighter to my books and the things written in the past because I appreciate it.
    
    The books I chose to title on the traffic box are some of those special books I hold on to. They were stepping stones to my learning, guides to my life, and enjoyment I cherish. I encourage you to read and create a little library of your own. Grow like a plant. Find wisdom like the owl. Draft with your tools. Reflect, dream, and be curious like a cat.

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Main St and Kensington Ave

• Artist: Katie Virag
  
  
  • Biography:
    Katie Virag was born and raised in Detroit, MI. She earned a BFA in Sculpture and a BS in Psychology from Louisiana State University in 2013, later studied art education and art therapy as a post baccalaureate student at SUNY – Buffalo State, and then earned an MFA in Studio Art from Syracuse University in 2021. She has had several solo exhibitions in Western and Central New York and her large installations and smaller works have been included in group shows nationwide. She currently splits her time between Buffalo, NY, where she has a studio at Buffalo Arts Studio and Syracuse, NY, where she is an Adjunct Professor in Sculpture at Syracuse University.
  
  
  • Inspiration:
    This design is about possibilities, resilience, and growth. As a sculptor who often works with cast metal, I am fascinated by the molten state of hot metal. There is something magical in looking into a hot crucible of this fluid material before it is poured into molds to take the shapes of particular forms. Over the years, I have come to think of molten metal as a symbol for endless possibilities and personal resilience. I incorporated the flowing movement of the metal as the orange and pink dripping shapes in my design. I also thought about black-and-white coloring book pages as something else that holds potential for possibilities, and flower imagery specifically, referencing growth.

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N. Forest Rd. and Union

• Artist: Teri Ritz
  
  
  • Biography:
    As a primarily self-taught artist, Teri has been creating art for a number of years. She focuses mainly on oil painting, and particularly enjoys painting still lifes and paintings in the trompe l'oeil (to fool the eye) style. Teri also occasionally works in charcoal, graphite and colored pencil and has participated in numerous local chalk festivals over the past several years. Teri is a member of The Fine Art League of Buffalo and the Williamsville Art Society. She recently had a solo show at the Allen Street Gallery and has work on display at 42 North on Main Street. Teri is very pleased to have been selected to complete her third painting on a traffic signal box and hopes that her rendition of a gumball machine is enjoyed by all.
  
  
  • Inspiration:
    My inspiration for the traffic signal box this year was the gumball and prize machines that I have seen in Tops Market for as long as I can recall. It was one of those ideas that just comes easily and feels right. I think it struck me as to how similar the shape of the machine is to the traffic signal box and the idea of doing something so colorful and fun was very appealing. I also remember putting my change into machines like those when I was a child and being excited to see what color gumball or type of toy I was going to get. I hope that my artwork can remind everyone of that little feeling of anticipation and the resulting surprise that something as simple as putting a coin into a machine can bring.

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Sheridan Dr. and Youngs

• Artist: Ali Lazik
  
  
  • Biography:
    Ali Lazik is a Buffalo-born creative, centering her artistic practice on painting undeniably colorful pieces. A recent graduate from the University at Buffalo's Master of Fine Arts program where Ali experimented with text in sculptural, interactive work, Lazik's paintings typically portray portraiture, dogs, animals- anything that is living!
  
  
  • Inspiration:
    Lazik's inspiration for last year's utility box was her service dog, a goofy golden retriever named Ezra, along with other local dogs throughout the town. This year? -lady bugs! Lady bugs are such bold looking insects, red (Ali's favorite color) with polka dots (who does love a good polka dot?). The insect is found throughout Buffalo's beautiful summers amidst the shining sun, beautiful gardens, and garden decor (such as the friendly gnomes), bees, and of course, Ezra got a feature!

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N. Forest Road and Millersport

• Artist: Courtney Zach
  
  
  • Biography:
    Courtney Zach returned to her hometown, Buffalo, NY, to establish herself as an artist, after spending over 17 years living abroad. Her mission is to ignite curiosity and inspire people to look inward to gain more self-awareness. She recently wrote a children’s book called, Quirky Creatures, with the second and third grade classes at Windermere Elementary school and she plans to hold more events and projects that get both kids and adults to embrace what makes them uniquely curious in an environment that celebrates both community and diversity.
  
  
  • Inspiration:
    The original artwork for this traffic box was inspired by our recent solar eclipse event, The Path of Totality. Do the buildings look familiar? You can find them around Amherst! How many have you seen?
  
  
  • Website: https://linktr.ee/courtneyzach

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Main St and Campus

• Artist: Margo Davis
  
  
  • Biography:
    Unlike so many areas, we in Amherst are blessed with resplendence of diverse parks, woods, nature preserves. We even have our own arborist and legal ruling that protects established trees from development and construction. My parade of trees design is an homage to the Amherst resource that helps make our town so special. Seeing the newest Banksy mural created to bring whimsey and beauty to what was left of a decrepit old tree and a non-descript wall in Bristol, England inspired to bring the same to a traffic box in Amherst. I hope its simple, whimsical style makes people smile as they pass by.
  
  
  • Inspiration:
    Amherst native, Margo Davis is thrilled to have been invited to create public art for Amherst! She creates art on canvas, walls, and furniture, through microphone, and on stage and film. Funny about the creative soul. It can’t keep still. Starting out in painting, she sold her first piece at age 12. Her first job after completing her education was set design. Stage roles led Margo to a NYC career in stage, film, and voice-over. Invited back to Buffalo for an acting role, she was invited to teach arts at Buffalo’s Visual and Performing Arts High School where she chaired the theatre Department for a dozen years. She has recently found herself back in visual arts. Most recently she has designed and painted murals for stage and privately, and continues to adopt orphan chairs, uniquely paint them and either donate them to not-for-profit organizations’ fund raisers or provide private commission. SweetChair-ity.com
  
  

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Garrison Road and Lehn Springs

• Artists: Patty Angrisano Ossa and Cindy Angrisano
  • Inspiration:
    Our inspiration came from the simple pleasure of children blowing bubbles up to the sky, reminding people to keep in touch with their inner child and forget their worries for a moment.
  
  

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