Galleries of the Lompoc Mural Society's Murals: Major Commissioned Murals


History of Surf

The concept of painting a giant mural in one day is thought to have been originated by the Mural Society of Toppenish, Washington. Gene and Judy Stevens visited Toppenish in 1990 and watched as the artists created a huge, beautiful mural in one day. The outcome was so impressive that they brought the idea back home and presented the concept to the Lompoc Mural Society, which launched its first MID project in 1991. It was a 12x48-foot depiction of the history of the Chumash Indians in the Lompoc Valley.

The mural was a great success, and remains one of the favorite murals in the Lompoc Inventory.

Painting a giant mural in one day is no simple undertaking. A "Master Artist" is chosen from submitted concept sketches, then a full color to scale "marquette" is completed. The day of the event it is duplicated full scale by 12-20 community artists under the direction of the master artist. This is truly an amazing sight to see!!!

Title: "Chumash Indians"; Year: 1992
Master Artist: Robert Thomas, Kooskia, Idaho
Location: 118 East Ocean Avenue
Description: Lompoc's first mural-in-a-day is a salute to the Chumash Indians who inhabited the Lompoc Valley for many centuries. The colorful scene was painted in one day by 12-20 artists working under the direction of a "Master Artist".

Title: "Main Street 1900-1930"; Year: 1993; Master Artist: Art Mortimer, Santa Monica, CA;
Location: Currently in storage;
Description: The mural depicts main street Lompoc, principally at Ocean Avenue and S Street using sepia tones of turn-of-the-century photographs. The flagpole was in the intersection until World War II. The figure on the right is the city's first mayor, Harvey Rudolph.

Title: "Steelhead Fishing in the Santa Ynez River"; Year: 1994; Artist: Roger Cooke, Sandy, OR; Location: 123 West Ocean Avenue;
Description: Before the construction of Bradbury Dam at Cachuma Lake in 1953, the Santa Ynez River was one of the great steelhead fishing streams in all of California.

Title: "Domingos Blacksmith Shop"; Year: 1995; Master Artist: Suzanne Cerney, Santa Barbara, CA; Location: 120 West Walnut; Description:When this mural was painted, Domingos was one of the few remaining blacksmith shops in California. The shop functioned not only as a blacksmith shop but also as a social gathering place for longtime friends.

Title: "History of Agriculture in the Lompoc Valley"; Year: 1996; Master Artists: Vicki Andersen & Carol Oliveira, Lompoc, CA; Location: Currently in storage;
Description: The Lompoc Valley is said to have the most temperate climate on earth when it comes to agriculture. This is borne out by its history. It was the greatest apple growing region in the world around 1900.

Title: "Great Lompoc Gold Rush"; Year: 1998; Master Artist: Roger Cooke, Sandy, OR; Location: 135 North H Street (south side of building;
Description: Lompoc's "Great Gold Rush" began in 1889 and took place generally from the mouth of the Santa Ynez River to Honda Creek. All claims were taken and over 200 people were working claims by December 1889.

Title: "Great Floral Flag"; Year: 1999; Master Artist: Art Mortimer, Santa Monica, CA; Location: 131 South H Street (south side of building);
Description: In 1941, when the nation was deeply engulfed in World War II, Bodger Seed Co. of Lompoc undertook a special tribute to our troops fighting around the world.

Title: "The Lighthouse at Point Conception"; Year: 2000; Master Artists: Vicki Andersen & Linda Gooch, Lompoc, CA; Location: 131 South H Street, next to the Floral Flag;
Description: This mural depicts various views of the lighthouse located at point Conception on California's rugged central coast.

Title: "Flora & Fauna of the Lompoc Valley"; Year: 2001; Master Artist: Art Mortimer, Santa Monica, CA; Location: Currently 111 West Ocean Ave., (formerly in the 100 block of South H Street);
Description: This mural portrays the various flowers, plants and wildlife that are in the local area.

Title: "50 Years of Flowers & Memories"; Year: 2002; Master Artists: Nancy Phelps, Lompoc, CA, & Sue Treuhaft, Santa Maria, CA; Location: 316 E. Ocean Ave. (East wall on E St.)
Description: This mural celebrates the 50 year history of the Flower Festival in the Lompoc Valley. The festival features a parade, flower show, arts & crafts and carnival.

Title: "Last of the Titans"; Year: 2003; Master Artist: Colleen Mitchell-Veyna; Location: currently in storage
Description:

Title: "Fields of Gold (When Lompoc was the Mustard Seed Capital of the World)"; Year: 2004; Master Artist:Colleen Goodwin Chronister; Location: Currently in storage
Description:

Title: "Remembering Clarence 'Pop' Ruth & the Chumash Indian Heritage of Lompoc"; Year: 2005; Master Artist:Colleen Mitchell-Veyna; Location: Currently in storage; Description: Chumash Indian's territory once stretched from Malibu to Morro Bay. Their maritime culture flourished for thousands of years prior to the arrival of the Spanish explorers in the 16th century and the Spanish missionaries in the 18th century.

Title: "Monarch Magic"; Year: 2006; Master Artist: Colleen Goodwin Chronister, Salem, OR;
Location: South side of building at 118 South H St.; Description: Lompoc's 15th Mural-in-a-Day depicts the beautiful monarch butterflies that call a strand of eucalyptus trees on South Vandenberg Air Force Base home.