Happy Faces

Bold lines, bright purple and yellow colors, and simplified surreal faces scream fun in front of Amador Valley High School. Austin Clay Willis was an AVHS student when he submitted his graffiti-style art to the Civic Arts Commission’s PASS committee for selection in the 2015 Project Paint Box. Pleasanton’s Community Manager in 2015-2016, Michele Cose said, “The Committee liked that it was student-incorporated, a nod to graffiti art, and had this whimsical fun about it”. 

Urban street art can take many forms while employing bold lines to convey artistic impression. In “Happy Faces”, Austin uses bright colors for abstract faces on a pink background and draws attention to facial features with open red-lined mouths, white expressive eyes, and furtive movement. The abstract figures wrap around the painted utility box, laughing up sides and capturing the back of the box. It is a free-form expression of fun.

Austin also did another artwork for Pleasanton’s 2016-2017 Project Paint Box. It is at the intersection of Bernal and Case Avenue and is called “Dreamscape”. Austin Willis received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from San Francisco Art Institute. He has since relocated to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, where he continues to develop his artistic career in mixed media and conceptual work by participating in exhibitions across Canada and the United States, including Vancouver and New York City.

Jan Coleman-Knight