Growing up in New Jersey as the daughter of a cross-country truck driver, artist Val Britton developed a fascination with mapping that informs her work. This personal history enriches her narratives, allowing her to connect deeply with her material. For Britton, creating public art is both a privilege and a challenge, as she translates studio work to larger scales. “I never thought I would be able to bring something so personal into work that could be seen by so many people.”
Britton is the Oregon-based artist behind "Where Earth Meets Sky", a stunning 950-square-foot installation in CLT’s new Concourse A Phase II. Her artistic journey began with childhood scribbles and has evolved into a deep commitment to visual storytelling through diverse mediums. Educated at the Rhode Island School of Design, Britton now merges drawing, painting, installation and public art through the lens of abstract mapping. With "Where Earth Meets Sky", she aimed to “create something that uses color and shape and movement to convey some sort of emotional impact.”
Central to her vision is the exploration of emotional landscapes. "Where Earth Meets Sky", a mixed-media collage, embodies this theme by inviting travelers to reflect on their own journeys. “I really wanted to bring something together that referred to land and air, and to this meeting place. I think of airports as these liminal zones where people are in between places - thinking about where they’re coming from and where they’re going and where they locate themselves - so it’s sort of like a collision of different elements.”
Material selection played a crucial role, especially given the natural light in the Concourse. Britton used durable birch plywood and sourced around 95% of her materials by scavenging in Portland. Discovering Charlotte’s unique red clay inspired her to create rustic colors by grinding the clay and bricks from Sugar Creek Greenway into pigment for paint. She also added gold leaf flecks throughout, serving as a source of light and a nod to Charlotte’s gold rush. “Charlotte is both conceptually and physically part of the work,” she explains.
The artistic process spanned several years, culminating in this large-scale piece through collaboration with Magnolia Additions, which utilized UV digital printing to capture various textures and colors. Britton hopes passengers experience vibrancy, complexity, wonder and expansiveness, inviting personal interpretations. “I hope that the viewers will be able to complete the work with their experience, especially since it’s very abstract,” she explains.
Through this mural, Britton not only maps her own journey but also invites others to reflect on theirs, transforming the airport into a canvas of connection and self-exploration.
To see more works of art from Val Britton, visit her website.