Fox and the Flowers
Location
Joel Geist is a multidisciplinary artist living and working in Flagstaff, Arizona. By day, he’s a mild-mannered screen printer at Flag T Factory; by weekend, he transforms into the friendly neighborhood muralist known as Red Frog, slinging color across city walls—with permission, of course.
Born in 1982 in Denver, Joel high-tailed it to Hollywood after high school to chase his dreams as an actor. While the spotlight proved elusive, he found his place behind the scenes (or rather, before them) painting sets, making props, and crafting immersive environments in what is known in the film industry as the “Art Department”.
In 2020, amidst the shutdown, Joel moved to Flagstaff to help care for his mother and has since been rebuilding his artistic life. His current series, Re-building, focuses on that very transition—combining everything he’s learned from pet portraits to prop-making into a collection of “graffiti to go” style pieces, crafted to feel like fragments of city walls cut out and ready to take home.
Joel has completed a number of public art pieces in Flagstaff. In addition to Fox and the Flowers, he completed a mural for the Assistance League of Flagstaff entitled “Bee Generous.”
About the Artist
As an animal lover, local artist Joel Geist was compelled to link the site of this cabinet with the multi-use area’s namesake by presenting a vibrant, colorful fox amid a backdrop of floral designs, welcoming guests to Foxglenn Park.
About the Artwork
Questions for Elementary School Families
What colors do you see? How do those colors make you feel?
What animal is shown on the box? Why do you think the artist chose that animal?
What kinds of flowers can you spot? What do you think they might represent?
The artist, Joel Geist, loves animals and nature. How can you tell that from this artwork?
Why do you think the artist wanted to make the fox look so bright and colorful instead of its true colors?
If you could ask the artist one question about this art piece, what would it be?
Questions for Secondary School Families
What stands out to you first when you look at this mural? Why do you think that is what your eyes were first drawn to?
How do the colors, shapes, and lines work together to create a mood or feeling?
What is the overall tone of the piece? What elements make you think that?
Why do you think the artist chose to make the fox’s colors so bright and unrealistic? What message or emotion might that convey?
What are the challenges and/or benefits of creating art on public objects like utility boxes?
Extension Activity
Create your own brightly colored animal artwork inspired by Joel Geist’s Fox and the Flowers mural! Pick an animal and sketch a realistic outline. Choose unlikely and bright colors to create a work of art inspired by Joel Geist.