Stephen Johnson describes his mosaic mural and his inspiration for the energy it conveys this way, “My idea for these murals is to convey a sense of joy through an exuberant juxtaposition of colors, shapes, and familiar images... On the surface, the variety of colors and shapes in the mosaics resemble collages and invite the traveler to consider the multiple layers of images found on city walls, particularly in the subway, where posters may tear, revealing previous images and forming exciting compositions... The glass is as diverse as the station's passengers, whose ethnic origins stem from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East... I wanted the abstract design to be balanced with realistic images that people can instantly get." The work brings vibrancy and texture to the station environment.

Artist Stephen T. Johnson’s visually arresting and conceptually rich body of work forges connections between words, objects, and ideas.  His art spans a broad range of concepts and contexts and can be seen in site-specific public art commissions, gallery and museum exhibitions, and original award-winning children’s books such “Alphabet City,” a Caldecott Honoree and a New York Times Best Illustrated book of the year.  A popular arts educator, Stephen T. John inherited the acronym STJ from his students. As an artist, “STJ” has embraced the acronym as representative of his creative framework, “Subject, Transformation, and Joy!”