“Scapes and Scope” in 3 Movements by curator jim ellsberry

This current exhibition "Scapes and Scope – Visions of Land, Sea, and Urban Space" brings together a variety of artworks depicting land, sea, and urban settings. You will experience over 115 paintings by moving in and out of three distinct, yet related, displays in the Art Center’s gallery. The exhibit begins – and welcomes the viewer - in the first room.

Room 1 – Traditional 

​Here you leave behind the loud and busy outside, and you are invited to simply relax and enjoy beautifully rendered representations of scenery around us. In this room, land and sea paintings are done in traditional, representational styles. But you will also see hints of impressionism and contemporary painting mixed in.

“The Sea Cave and the Southern Shoreline” by Rick Humphrey, oil on canvas, 35 x 60 inches

A key painting here is by California artist Rick Humphrey. It depicts the southern side of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The view is looking south from what is today the Terranea Resort, once the same location for Marineland of the Pacific. Rick has a strong attachment to this area and is an advocate for preserving its remaining open spaces.
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Room 2 – Contemporary 

​As you enter our second room, the paintings are not unfamiliar. Still representational, they bring much more of the “Urban” scape to our show. But viewers are also invited to imagine and “…see beyond the usual,” in the words of the great American painter Robert Henri. 

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​A prominent part of this room is a painting by California artist Mark Beck. It’s an example of how art can make a strikingly bold statement.  The painting is based ​on a landscape by the Hudson River School painter Asher Durand called “Kindred Spirits.”  It is about crises in America, from climate to ethnic and racial disparities. In my view, it also offers hope that comes out of continued and heightened awareness.

“The Hike” by Mark Beck, oil on canvas, 50 x 62 inches

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Room 3 – Modern Expressive 

“Western Sky” by Susan Stone, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches

​​When standing in the second room, you can look into Room 3 where you are presented with the painting on the left. This work is by another California artist, Susan Stone. Although it reminds me of work that came out of the New York School (abstract expressionism), it also presents an imaginary scape of – in Stone’s words – "unfettered sky, land, and water." You might even say it is a depiction of time - sunrise to sunset. It’s a painting that reminds us to be joyful and aware of color and the beauty around us.

​I hope this information will be helpful as you move throughout this exhibition we call “Scapes and Scope – Visions of Land, Sea, and Urban Space.” Most of all, I wish to thank the artists who have participated in the show. As well I wish to thank the outstanding staff of the Huntington Beach Art Center for all their hard work in helping make this happen.  
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​- Jim Ellsberry