In Michael Flechtner's works, neon becomes a concrete metaphor for illumination and understanding. When Flechtner was a child, he was nearly electrocuted by a neon beer sign. Rather than shying away from what must certainly have been a painful memory, Flechtner grew ever more fascinated with neon and related technologies of formed light. Flechtner's works include images of animals, people and machines, and sometimes also incorporate text. Flechtner's iconography draws on science fiction, punning humor and Eastern philosophy. He often links different images together to create pictograms that have a personal as well as social meaning. "I create visual puzzles and large 'playthings' for the curious, probing child in each of us," Flechtner has said. Recent works include "A Neon Aquarium" at the corner of Olympic and Sawtelle in West Los Angeles; and "Neon Oracle," a piece commissioned by a private art collector in Los Angeles for her garage. The oracle is activated when the automatic garage door opens, presenting the owner with a different pattern of symbols to contemplate each time she enters or exits her garage.