Featured Article

Historic Capistrano Depot
Fine Art Gallery Depicts California and the West

There is no greater canvas on which to brush the colorful genius of Southern California's great painters than on the gallery of the Old Stone Walls of Historic Capistrano Depot. Restaurateur/Owner Deborah Bogdanski has done just that with an ever-changing art exhibit featuring artists whose work embodies the Spirit of the Coastal Living and the Western Landscape in oil, watercolor and acrylic.

As the train roars by this popular ambient restaurant, one is surrounded by brick archways and stonewalls that showcase the South Coast through these works of art. Whether dining near one of two crackling fireplaces or walking through to view the paintings, it is the culture of California that cries out from each one.

The Painters

Bruce Brown
Bruce Brown was an engineer specializing in International Airport design. He began painting in the early 60's and became an exhibitor at the Sawdust Festival in Laguna Beach in the 70's and 80's. In 1989 Bruce suffered a stroke that paralyzed his right side and took his speech however, this did not dampen his spirits or his talent. With the encouragement of his daughter Alexandra he began to paint again using his left hand. His body of work is beautiful, brilliantly detailed and engaging with his scenes depicting the Wild West and still life. His story is one of courage and his gift as a fine artist transcended his physical challenges.

Tony "Hunk PaPa Brown"
An avid surfer and painter of Surf Scenes and Western and Native American Culture, Tony Brown is well known in San Juan Capistrano. Tony paints in oil, pastel and graphite and also does fine portraiture. In one of his paintings the shadow of a great white shark can be seen in the wave below an unsuspecting surfer, not unlike a close encounter that Tony himself had off the coast of San Onofre with the Great White that was there in September of 2003. Tony's work has been commissioned for events such as KSBR Birthday Bash, and the Swallow's Day Parade. Tony is a general contractor and the owner of Tony Brown Design and Build. He and his wife Orrie are long time residents of San Juan Capistrano where they live with their three daughters.

Don De Lew
Many of the artists represented on the old depot walls are well traveled and have a great appreciation for this region of California, settling here after living, studying and painting throughout the world. Don De Lew, known for his brightly lit garden flowers created with an amazing brushwork, studied at the Academy of Art in San Francisco Art Center School. He then studied in England, France, Holland and Spain and began doing large murals in Mendocino and Half Moon Bay. Don's works are described as "intimate acrylic abstracts reminiscent of Zen Poetry" and have been featured in exhibits at the Long Beach Museum of Art, his paintings are found in private collections from Rome to Taipei. He and his wife Grace also are educators in art and live in a sunny flat in Long Beach.

Paul Gavin
Premier Coastal Painter Paul Gavin portrays detailed colorful scenes of beach living and the surf culture in vivid detail. Paul has been painting since he was seven. His love for plein air painting has taken him from sites around his home in Historic San Juan Capistrano to Paris and Normandy France. He has created many military themed works of art depicting the El Toro Air Shows as well as Andrews Air Force Base, the City of Chicago and the MCAS Miramar in San Diego. Paul has painted the South Coast of California since 1976 until the present and is well known for his "Premier Coastal Series", which includes limited additions of Dana Point Harbor, The San Clemente Pier and many other scenes depicting the California lifestyle with vibrant realism.

Caroline L. Linscott
Caroline is known for her large detailed watercolor paintings of Flowers with blooms covered in dripping dew, still life of fruit flowers and porcelain, scenes of Historic sites captured like never before in soft yet vivid detail and romantic use of color. Her soft blue hued watercolor of the Capistrano Depot is timeless and captures the ambiance of this Historic treasure. Caroline has exhibited her work in The Festival of the Arts in Laguna Beach and served as president for Women Artists of the West as well as on the Board of Directors for Art-A-Fair.

Sandy Miller
The South of France was also the inspiration for one Contemporary California Impressionist. Sandy Miller was born in Waterbury Connecticut. Her initial works were charcoal drawings and then after a trip to Province France in 1991, she began to paint in oil. "I was so moved by the wondrous light and amazing colors, continually visualizing new paintings." Sandy's paintings are spectacular and they ring with light. From the Mission San Juan Capistrano in all of its glory to garden patio café's, they can be seen at the entrance of the great dining room inside Capistrano Depot.

Brian Norkaitis
In one of the intimate rooms of the depot and above the hearth, artist, Brian Norkaitis, took me away to Crystal Cove in the large soft watercolor captivation. Brian has been painting the California Coast for over 25 years. From rustic coastal beach cottages, white picked fences in wildflowers and nostalgic porches to Fishing Boats and wonderful old Missions, Brian's work is distinctive, and unforgettable. Beyond Newport Beach, Crystal Cove, Laguna and Avalon on Catalina Island, Brian enjoys pointing in Carmel, Monterey, San Simeon and Cambria as well as on the East Coast capturing imagery of the villages of Maine, and traveling to the South of France to paint the charming villages in Province and the Greek Islands.

Barbara Fudurich
Barbara displays a range of perspectives that highlight the beauty of landscapes, the intimacy of outdoor still life, and simple, "peaceful" daily activities. Based in Dana Point since 1987, her award winning work has been juried into shows such as the prestigious Art for the Parks. Painting on location has taken her to venues in Southern California, the Southwest, Europe, Hawaii and South America. She is a member of San Diego Watercolor Society, Watercolor West, and juried into Women Artists of the West. Barbara has developed her art through personal study and with professional artists. Her work has been described as having "an emotional quality that transcends the actual medium" and hangs at the Henstock Gallery in Laguna Beach, Sarducci's in San Juan Capistrano, Dana Point Art Center and in private collections in Canada, Europe and across the United States.

Leather and Lace
The Linscott original "Guns and Roses" speaks of the spirit of this collection of art. A brightly colored wool Mexican blanket is the backdrop that gently drapes down under an old leather Bible. A holster and gun belt lay on top of the Bible and a large vase of beautiful roses in watercolor soften the scene in a painting that both a man and a woman could be equally wild about. This painting embodies the ruggedness and the romance of the West, a theme that runs through the entire fine art collection at Sarducci's Capistrano Depot Restaurant and Gallery where California's history, landscape and surf culture are on exhibit daily.

© Copyright 2005 Purpose Media and Sarduccis Capistrano Depot.
No unauthorized duplication without written consent.
To view other works displayed at the Capistrano Depot, please visit their gallery