FINE ART ALFRESCO BUSWAY STATIONS NEWEST GALLERIES IN TOWN.

Byline: Lisa M. Sodders Staff Writer

In an unusual twist on the traditional fine art museum tour, Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials Saturday led people on a guided art tour of Orange Line bus stations.

As it has throughout the transit system, the MTA commissioned artwork from 12 artists to give each station its own unique look, in addition to lead artist Renee Petropoulos' overall design concept for station canopies, platforms and other station elements.

``I think art should be more accessible to the public, not just the people who go to galleries or museums,'' said artist Michele Martinez, 47, of Alhambra, whose four-piece work, ``Todos Vuelven/Everyone Returns,'' adorns the Sepulveda station.

She praised Petropoulos' work, saying her overall design ``creates, as aesthetics do, a feeling of comfort and welcome. That's what good design can do: It changes the way you feel about your surroundings.''

Led by Erik Qvale, MTA public arts officer, docents Sy and Gloria Feerst and other officials, the group boarded a packed Metroliner bus at the Sepulveda station and stopped at the Laurel Canyon and North Hollywood stations before riding the bus back to Sepulveda.

Each artist produced two designs that were photographed and then transferred to damage-resistant porcelain steel panels, plus two designs for the terrazzo ovals on station pavement.

Martinez, whose grandfather came to the United States from Mexico in 1906, told the group she wanted to combine themes of ecology and migration in her work. One of the panels features a quotation from Mexican poet Pablo Neruda, over a fabric collage of a man in a suit, surrounded by monarch butterflies and other insects.

She noted that the process of transferring the original work to the steel plate captured the texture of the silk fabric as well as the sense of depth from the quilting she did on part of it. The terrazzo ovals continue the theme with images of butterflies, footprints and plants that also resemble hands.

At Laurel Canyon, Vietnamese artist Phung Huynh's work ``Lucky California'' features chubby, laughing Chinese cherubs frolicking among California poppies in one panel, among airplanes and oranges in another panel and also on the colorful terrazzo pavement sections.

The North Hollywood station features ``Dramatic Locale'' by Caryl Davis, which includes a terrazzo design of the region as seen from above, with ranges, valleys and fault lines, and a panel depicting colorful place names like ``Polecat Gulch,'' ``Qui Quai Mungo'' and ``Puzzle Canyon.''

Michael Smith, 39, of Van Nuys said he found the art ``very beautiful,'' but wondered whether most commuters would take the time to glance at the murals under their feet or the panels on the side.

Smith said he had taken other MTA art tours on other parts of the line, and told friends about them: ``You get to see the hidden treasures of L.A.''

Melody Hall, 54, of Van Nuys and her husband, Rick Simon, 58, also took the tour because they're interested in the evolution of mass transit in the city, and think the busway is ``a really positive thing.''

``There is so much diversity in Los Angeles, and most people don't get to see it,'' Hall said. ``This is a way for people to experience the creativity that comes from different cultures.''

Lisa M. Sodders, [phone]

lisa.sodders(at)dailynews.com

IF YOU GO

The MTA is offering free guided art tours of the stations along the new Metro Orange Line. The next tour begins at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Sepulveda Station.

For more information, call (213) 922-4ART or visit the Web site, www.metro.net

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1) Participants in Saturday's art tour along the Orange Line walk past a piece by Phung Huynh at the Laurel Canyon Station.

(2) At the Laurel Canyon station, Phung Huynh's ``Lucky California'' features laughing Chinese cherubs among airplanes and oranges on the colorful terrazzo pavement sections.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer

Box:

IF YOU GO (see text)