The beauty of Orange County and the essence of its people, places and particularities are in focus in the current exhibition “Same Place, Another Time: Views of Orange County” at the Hilbert Museum of California Art at Chapman University.  The show, one of 10 exhibitions currently on view at the museum, will run through September 7.

Curated by California art expert Gordon McClelland, “Same Place, Another Time” features oil and watercolor paintings by some of the best-known California artists, including Barse Miller, Kerne Erickson, Roger Kuntz, Bradford J. Salamon, Phil Dike, Rosemary Vasquez Tuthill, George James, Phil Dike and many more.  The paintings date from the 1930s to recent (in the case of Erickson’s “California Gold – Villa Park,” commissioned by museum founder Mark Hilbert and completed just a few months ago).

“I curated this selection of paintings so that the show is kind of a walk-through time in OC, or a time capsule,” says McClelland.  “Each one depicts a different facet of our social history, from 90-year-old paintings of downtown Laguna Beach and the area that was to become Irvine to more contemporary scenes of harbors, farms, beaches, and even Disneyland.”

And people, McClelland adds; the paintings always include people.  “These paintings are all part of a genre known as California Scene painting, which encompasses scenes of everyday life and people at work, at play and in repose.”

An example is Duncan Gleason’s “Youthful Mariners, South Laguna,” a 1930s oil on canvas on loan to the museum from collectors Van and Diane Simmons, shown above.  Gleason, best known for his compelling marine scenes of people in boats wrestling with wild wind and waves, presents here a more peaceful depiction of our neighboring Pacific Ocean.  In the painting, a flock of children gather at a spot easily recognizable to Orange Countians as Three Arch Bay, near Laguna Beach.  The artist used his own two daughters as models as they played on the beach with friends.

Barse Miller’s stunning oil “Regatta, Newport Beach,” also from the 1930s and on loan from Peter and Gail Ochs, showcases a variety of eye-catching triangle shapes, from the boats’ sails to the perspective in which we see the town layout, moving back to the Balboa Pavilion.  Miller was an avid sailor in the 1930s.  Although he lived inland, he regularly traveled to sail out of Newport Harbor.

“Old Irvine General Store,” a 1950s oil by Ben Abril, is painted in the artist’s inimitable style, using quick swatches and dabs of paint.  This building, well-known in its day, was the only structure of its kind in the Irvine Ranch area, and was considered to be “downtown Irvine” before there was such a thing.  “The little store was located on the way to Laguna Beach, across from a bean-packing plant and next to railroad tracks,” says McClelland.

Two newer works in the exhibition also showcase the unique beauty and culture of Orange County.  “Laguna, Crystal Cove” by Ray Roberts is a contemporary view of a timeless scene: the beloved, colorful beach houses at Crystal Cove State Park.  Roberts, a Signature Artist member of the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association, has a keen ability to quietly observe his surroundings, to then translate what he absorbs to canvas.

Contemporary painter Bradford J. Salamon has several works in the Hilbert Collection, but his oil on canvas “Disneyland, Vintage 1960,” painted in 2017 based on an old Disney postcard view, is one of the most popular.  The piece depicts the original Disneyland entry sign so fondly remembered by locals, back in the days when a pack of E-tickets would get you aboard the Submarine Voyage, the Matterhorn Bobsled, the Rocket to the Moon and much more.

McClelland also curated two showcases full of interesting OC paper memorabilia for the show, from old postcards of past attractions and restaurants no longer with us, to surfing ephemera, Jesus People pamphlets, and 1960’s and 1970’s rock posters.

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The Hilbert Museum of California Art at Chapman University is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm.  Admission is free. Pre-registration online at www.HilbertMuseum.org is recommended but not required; walk-ins welcome. Call 714-516-5880 during open hours for more information.