The gift of John Wayne Airport is that it never takes longer than 10 minutes to get through security. Global Access, Pre-check, nothing at all … however you travel, it’s almost impossible to wait in line at the airport’s efficiently run TSA operation.
This means, for some, a Vino Volo visit to grab a Pinot Noir tasting flight before your real flight. Others might opt to sit on those comfortable-ish chairs by the gates, looking out at airplanes slowly careening into hangars and wondering how the people buzzing around on those carts outside really know what luggage to put where.
Maybe John Wayne Airport understands the happy dilemma of a no-wait situation because to bide travelers over, the place is really into art. (You can read extensively about its arts initiatives here.) Take, for example, John Wayne Airport’s Community Focus Space Program, which is an ever-changing line-up of solo-style exhibitions by Orange County artists, local community organizations and artists with Orange County ties. Every four to six weeks, the art is swapped out for a new set of pieces with local flavor.
From now until May 17, 2018, mixed media art by Brennan Roach is on display at the airport. His works can be seen on the Departure (upper) Level near security screening areas in Terminals A, B and C, and on the Arrival (lower) Level next to Baggage Carousels 1 and 4.
Roach is inextricably tied to the Orange County community; he pursued a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from California State University, Fullerton after discovering a passion for the visual arts while creating artwork for t-shirts and flyers for his band, Time and Energy. He’s still working on his music career while producing new material in his studio at the Advertising Arts Building, one of the last standing art colonies in Orange County.
“I make a line on paper, it’s there, it stays there, I react to it, I add more, I react to that, I feel the lines, the shapes, what it could be, what it wants to be,” Roach explained of his process.
The artist is inspired by themes of consciousness and the environment
. His window pieces are like collages piecing together disparate past moments from his life, most of which involved drawing on napkins at bars or restaurants, sketching the ideas floating around in his mind. Roach’s aesthetic is light and playful but with an edge of poignancy. He draws meaning from the seemingly meaningless and brings imaginative whimsy to the glass canvas.
“Each of Mr. Roach’s pieces tells its own story, with underlying themes of self-reflection that are revealed in the intricacy of his work,” said Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairman Andrew Do.
For more about Roach’s window art, peruse his online gallery or simply check out the display next time you find yourself at John Wayne with a whole lot of time to spare before your next flight.
