Travis Martinez, 27, in the back of the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum on May 21, 2023. Behind Martinez is a mural by scenic artist Donald “DJ Mac” MacDonald painted in 1996. “This mural represents Huntington,” Martinez said. “There is so much surf history here.” Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
Murals hold meaning, especially within Orange County communities.
Whether these murals are depictions of long-lost icons like Kobe Bryant, or physical representations of culture or heritage like the ones cataloged by Mapping Arts OC, they stand as a representation of the community they reside in.
Orange County’s seaside cities have put their own spin on their community murals. Each brushstroke is a physical presentation of surf and beach culture, capturing the spirit of the community and the love of a common entity: the ocean.
Here is a look at some of Orange County’s coastal murals.
Seal Beach
A house painted by Jody Willams, a local muralist, and her daughter Samantha Seguine on May 16, 2023. The house sits on the corner of Ocean Blvd. and 13th Street in Seal Beach, California. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
“The owners of the house allowed me to go there and express my creativity,” Jody Williams said. “They wanted people to see how incredible Seal Beach is.”
A mural by Jody Williams, 58, and her daughter Samantha Seguine, 17, on a house in Seal Beach, California, on May 16, 2023. “I want to be known as an artist that loves God and loves people. I want to invest in people’s lives,” Williams shared. All of the people in the mural are depictions of her family and children. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
A mural by Jody Williams, 58, and her daughter Samantha Seguine, 17, on a house in Seal Beach, California, on May 16, 2023. “I want to be known as an artist that loves God and loves people. I want to invest in people’s lives,” Williams shared. All of the people in the mural are depictions of her family and children. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
On Main Street, another sea-themed mural can be seen, but on the front of a local business rather than a private residence.
The front of the California Seashell Company on May 16, 2023. The family-run curio and “shell shop” has maintained a storefront on Main Street, Seal Beach, for over 30 years. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
A mural by Donald “DJ Mac” MacDonald on the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum on May 21, 2023. The piece was originally painted in 1996. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
The mural may be repainted in the future due to its age, according to Brett Barnes, Chairman of the Board for the museum. “People love the mural, and we want to do the right thing by them,” said Barnes.
A woman rides a bicycle in front of a mural on the Surf City Liquor convenience store on May 21, 2023. Melissa Murphy, a local Huntington Beach muralist, painted the mural. The surfer in the center of the mural is Brett Simpson, a professional surfer from Huntington Beach. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.A section of the Surf City Liquor mural by Melissa Murphy on May 21, 2023. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
“Public art is important because it gives culture to a city,” said Murphy. “I also believe that local artists need to paint the public work, as their view of the world was created by their surroundings. There is a distinct culture in Huntington, I grew up here and worked as a lifeguard, I surfed daily… I grew up here and still live here. I feel like I know the culture and the people here.”
Newport Beach
Pacific Coast Highway motorists are greeted by the sight of a mural on the side of the Frog House they enter Newport Beach.
A mural by Jim Heath on the side of the Frog House on May 23, 2023. Heath has painted murals on the wall of the shop since 1985, when he approached the owner with the idea. “Since then over six murals have been created and painted with different themes,” Heath said. “This most recent mural idea came from the wild surf crew that works there and they suggested a ‘Space theme.’” ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
“I really feel that looking at a bland, blank wall is dreadful,” muralist Jim Heath said. “Murals have always been a way for any community to feel connected and related to the area. It seems that people of all backgrounds will appreciate the art and remember it for years.”
On the alley side of the Frog House, a slightly different mural can be seen. This particular mural was painted by local Andy Rousch, who died last year, according to the owner TK Brimer.
A mural painted by Andy Rousch on the opposite alley side of the Frog House on May 23, 2023. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
The mural is a pictorial of Newport Beach, “from the Wedge all the way to Huntington Beach,” TK said. The mural also contains Bible verses, “and lots of girls, since Andy liked girls.”
This in mind, murals are abundant throughout the city.
A mural titled “First World Awareness Wall” by John Loyd Rushing in Laguna Beach on May 25, 2023. The mural is located on the south end of Main Beach. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.A view of the Laguna Beach mural titled “Keep it Clean for the next generation” across Pacific Coast Highway on May 25, 2023. The mural was painted in 2011 by Sandra Jones Campbell with the help of then-students at the Laguna College of Art & Design David M. Barnett, Robin Hextrum, and Stephanie Snee. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.A mural on the backside of a home located on St. Ann’s Beach in Laguna Beach on May 25, 2023. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
Dana Point
A surfer at the Salt Creek Beach walkway underpass on May 30, 2023. The mural within the underpass was designed by then-Dana Hills High School student Aleena Malik, replacing a 30-year-old mural, according to the OC Register. It was painted by Malik and several other Dana Hills High School students in 2018. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.James Swinson, a singer-songwriter, at the Salt Creek Beach walkway underpass on May 30, 2023. “I’m also a visual artist, and this tunnel inspires me. There’s something magical about this spot,” Swinson said. Swinson is part of an indie-folk rock duo called the Crossroad Poets. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.A mural painted by Robert Andrian on the side of Pacific Coast Highway in Dana Point on May 30, 2023. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.A mural representing surf history in Dana Point by Hung Tran on May 30, 2023. Tran’s mural, which was commissioned by the city, sits on the corner of Doheny Park Road and Las Vegas Boulevard. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
San Clemente
San Clemente is home to many murals that showcase the city’s rich history and love of the ocean.
Passerby walking past a mural by Dana Martino. The mural depicts Caroline Marks and Kolohe Andino, two surfers who represented the United States in the 2022 Olympics in Tokyo. Andino is native to San Clemente. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.A section of a mural painted by Francisco Camilo on May 30, 2023. The mural portraying Triton, a Greek mythological figure, was painted in 2017 and is located at laundromat Laundry Basket South. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.
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