This week, Sofia tells us to be BOLD! I decided to focus my response on bold colors, but Sofia noted in her challenge, “It can also be a veiled message, a different style. A new direction, taken sometimes in such a soft way it feels like evolution, or abruptly, a cut with the past… Things change all the time; boldness, it’s one of those signs.” You can read her entire challenge post here.

My first statement of bold colors is a mural painted on the side of a historic railcar at the Fargo Visitor’s Center at Main Avenue and Broadway in Fargo, North Dakota. The artist is Stan Koshka, a well-known Fargo artist. His work is characterized by its bold colors and often whimsical style. He has created numerous murals and public art pieces throughout the Fargo-Moorhead area.

Neon signs are designed to be bright and bold. We visited the Ignite Sign Museum in Tucson, Arizona, a few weeks ago. The signs feature former businesses in Tucson collected by a sign maker in the community. I also learned that neon isn’t the only gas used in these colorful signs. Neon produces reds, argon produces blues, and other gasses are responsible for various colors. In a future post, I’ll have many more examples of these artists’ work in argon and neon.

On a tour of Miami, Florida, last month, we were driven through the Wynwood District, a formerly industrial city section. In the early 2000s, visionary developers began transforming the area, attracting artists and creatives. Wynwood is most famous for its colorful murals and graffiti art, particularly the “Wynwood Walls,” an outdoor museum showcasing large-scale works by renowned street artists.

Many of the murals contain cartoonish elements. The style of the figures in this mural is an example. The Monopoly-like character and the ice cream cone dollar sign are typical of many pop art and cartoon-like styles we saw on our trip through the Wynwood district. I will feature more of these beautiful murals in a future post.

For a time, Lynn and I owned this boldly colored Mustang. We used it to visit sights in Arizona. Early one morning, we headed out to explore a historic mine near Wickenburg. I filled the tank with gas before our trip, and I believe the sun decided to compete by showing bold colors of its own.

That’s all for this week! It’s been great fun looking at everyone’s take on the BOLD challenge, which is far more wide-ranging in subject than my limited take on colors.

I will host the challenge on Saturday, March 1, and it will go live at noon Eastern Standard Time. I am looking forward to seeing your responses to my challenge next week. If you’d like to start your own challenge-response but aren’t sure how check here.

John Steiner