For generations, artists have been captivated by the breathtaking beauty and dynamic energy of California’s coastline. From the sunlit beaches of Southern California to the rugged shores of the north, painters have used both watercolor and oil to portray the Pacific’s many moods.
Now on view at the Hilbert Museum of California Art at Chapman University through August 9, the exhibition “California’s Golden Coast: Selections from The Hilbert Collection” brings together more than 40 paintings—spanning from the 1930s to today—that create a compelling visual chronicle of life along the coast. Curated by Museum Director Mary Platt, the exhibition includes lively beach scenes, working harbors, picturesque coastal cities and stretches of wild, untamed shoreline.
More than a showcase of natural beauty, these works celebrate the ever-changing relationship between people and the ocean. Together, they evoke a coastal California that is both nostalgic and immediate, reminding viewers of what’s at stake as the coast faces mounting environmental pressures. As Platt notes, “These paintings serve as both a tribute and a reminder of the need to preserve this extraordinary landscape for future generations.”
Among the standout works, shown below, is “Pier” by Roger Kuntz (1926–1975), a textured oil painting that evokes the timeless appeal of Santa Barbara’s Stearns Wharf. Depicted with bold brushwork and a muted palette, Kuntz’s pier stands as both an architectural landmark and a symbol of leisurely coastal life. Originally completed in 1872, Stearns Wharf is California’s oldest working wharf and remains a hub of fishing, strolling and shopping. Kuntz painted this piece in the 1960s, shortly after moving from Claremont to Laguna Beach, where he immersed himself in coastal subjects, from genre scenes to beachscapes.
At the other end of the state, and the spectrum of mood, is “Morro Rock” by Dutch-born artist Marinus Welman (b. 1934). The painting shows the massive volcanic plug rising dramatically out of the Pacific, just offshore of the town of Morro Bay. Painted in oil on canvas in 2010, the work reflects Welman’s deep reverence for California’s raw beauty.
After surviving the hardships of World War II as a child in the Netherlands, Welman immigrated to California in his twenties and has spent the past seven decades painting the state’s ever-changing landscapes. Now based in Orange and still painting at 91, he considers Morro Bay one of the most inspiring coastlines in the world.
More intimate in scale but no less evocative is “Old Balboa, The Boogie Boarders” by Southern California native Paige Oden. Commissioned by the Hilbert Museum in 2022, the painting captures a clear, sunlit day in Balboa, with young boogie-boarders riding the waves just offshore. Oden, who grew up on the beaches of Balboa Peninsula and Laguna Beach in the 1970s and 1980s, paints from memory as much as from observation.
“I describe the memory of an experience using color and shadows,” says Oden, a working artist with pieces on view each summer at Laguna Beach’s Festival of Arts. She is also a teacher and educational administrator in her role as Director of Visual Arts at the Orange County School of the Arts.
Also seen here is a piece by mid-century watercolorist Art Riley (1911–1998): his serene “Life Guard Tower 20, Treasure Island,” painted around 1960. Riley was a longtime background artist at Walt Disney Studios, where he contributed to animated classics, including “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and “Pinocchio.” But his personal watercolors, like this depiction of a quiet stretch of beach, offer a different kind of magic: soft washes of color capturing the delicate play of light on water, sand and sky.
Together, these and the other works in “California’s Golden Coast” create a rich tapestry of the state’s shoreline, seen through the eyes of artists who have found inspiration in its vistas. Whether painted in watercolor or oil, in muted tones or vivid color, each image offers a reminder of the coast’s enduring allure—and its vulnerability.
As the Hilbert Museum continues to celebrate California’s visual history, this exhibition is a timely tribute to the coast as a subject of artistic beauty and a vital resource worthy of appreciation, respect and preservation.
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The Hilbert Museum of California Art at Chapman University is located at 167 North Atchison St. in Old Towne Orange, across from the train station. The museum is open Tue-Sat 10 am to 5 pm, and admission is free. To save time checking in, pre-register online at www.HilbertMuseum.org. More information: 714-516-5880 during open hours.
