Pedals in the Wind

Birds joyfully flutter over two bicycles bearing bright flowers at the signal light where West Las Positas meets the multi-use cycling Iron Horse Trail. Two painted utility boxes bring surprised delight. It is just what artist Irma Grant intended: “Every image presents a new adventure: a means to express some of my favorite memories, moments and experiences”.

Irma Grant is an artist, graphic designer, teacher, and illustrator. Born and raised in the Netherlands, she later lived in Canada and Sweden. While in France, she studied fine art at Paul Valery University of Montpellier, training in classical methods requiring precision, perspective, and composition mastery. The French love for narrative in art inspired Grant’s expression of both a personal and universal story as seen in the precision of “Pedals in the Wind,” and her two other painted utility boxes in Pleasanton, “Children at Play” and “Hummingbirds”.

Originally entitled “Bicycle Box” and later named “Pedals in the Wind” by Robbie Helms of Valley View Elementary School, Irma Grant’s artwork tells the story of the continuum of cycling for all ages and celebrates young and older riders sharing the same path. Birds twisting and floating portray the motion of wind and the rush of air that exhilarates a cycling journey. Irma chose the American Robin and the California Scrub-Jay since they are common to Pleasanton. Other birds also play in the soft wind and are symbolic of the energy and movement of cycling. The bright flowers speak of the beauty of nature. Vine leaves twine about the images as a reminder that Pleasanton is a gateway to the Tri-Valley wine country and a nod to the historic Villa Armando Winery in Pleasanton until 1985.

 This bright expressive artwork was completed under a stipend from Pleasanton’s Public Art Acquisition Fund in 2018 and additional sponsorship from Bob and JoAnne Rossi Becker. The background paint is a mixture of Titanium White and a “dot” of Yellow Ochre. It commands attention, and along with the playful images, it invites glee that unfolds into a happy smile.

Jan Coleman-Knight