A mural of “Mission Garden — San Juan Capistrano,” a reproduction of the painting by well-known Orange County artist and rancher Nellie Gail Moulton was unveiled on Aug. 11 at the Ortega Capistrano Trading Post.
The 12 by 15-foot vinyl replica of the painting captures the time and culture of the city San Juan Capistrano through the lens of an important figure in Orange County’s history.
The original painting by Moulton was completed circa 1920 and is a “plein air landscape,” meaning a painting of the outdoors, that studies the interior courtyard of the historic Mission of San Juan Capistrano.
Due to the size of the painting, the mural required a city permit and approval by the San Juan Capistrano Planning Commission.
The Alliance of San Juan Art, a local art organization hoping to bring art history back to San Juan Capistrano, organized the mural.
TASJA appointed an “Art Advisory Panel” in early 2022 to advise and select the image. After countless meetings and reviews, the “Mission Garden” was chosen.
“It is a beautiful example of one of the local vistas that Nellie Gail Moulton painted almost a century ago,” said Rich Heimann, founder of TASJA. “The mural promotes local tourism as it inspires visitors to walk a short distance for a rare experience: A view of the same vista of the Mission she painted 100 years ago in an almost unchanged courtyard.”
“The Nellie Gail mural provides a visual testament to the art, culture and long history of this town that is so unusual for Southern California, through the artistic vision of one of our founding residents,” said Heimann.
Heimann created TASJA in 2020 because he believed that with San Juan Capistrano’s deep history, art is required for preservation.
“My wife Lou and I are relatively new in San Juan Capistrano, having moved here about six years ago from Mission Viejo,” said Heimann. “I soon noticed that San Juan Capistrano was surrounded by communities with significant…
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