The shifting Sunset

Nestled next to Captain Jack’s restaurant in Sunset Beach is Anderson

Art Gallery, which houses the works of both well-known and

up-and-coming painters and artists.

It’s fitting that the gallery -- owned and run by Bill and Ausma

Anderson -- should be neighbors with the landmark restaurant, a

family-run establishment for the past 34 years.

“It’s part of the charm and character of this city, as are a lot

of these other restaurants and buildings you see here,” Bill Anderson

said of the venerable restaurant. “I wanted to capture the magic of

this city before there is too much change -- the cottages, the

streets, the old buildings. These little authentic structures with a

time period attached to them are marvelous.”

With the stroke of his paintbrush, Anderson, 64, has captured the

spirit of Sunset Beach.

Beginning Sept. 30 and running through Oct. 30, the gallery will

present an exhibit of works by Anderson, titled “Sunset Beach 100

Years.”

The project illustrates the visual transformation of the town,

once dominated by cottages, into an area of three-story structures,

Anderson said.

The exhibit, he said, will feature at least 50 pieces. The gallery

walls will be covered with images of Sunset Beach.

In his paintings, it’s typical to see a surfer in the background,

which he says helps identify the scene as a beach town. You’ll also

see his late dog, Hammer, in several paintings.

“The character of old Sunset Beach is changing so much that I

wanted to retain its history in paintings,” Anderson said. “One thing

about art is that you can preserve history in a very personal way. It

is, perhaps, an individualized view with more of a human quality

than, say, what you see captured in a photograph.

“I’ve been up and down the Southern California coast, and Sunset

Beach is very unique, with its little channels and cottages on

canals, almost very Venice-like. My goal was to try to get down on

paper an era of this city before it was gone.”

The Huntington Beach resident is a former member of the Huntington

Beach Art Board and Allied Arts Associates -- two groups that he said

were connected to and helped develop the Huntington Beach Art Center,

then known as the New Huntington Beach Art Gallery.

He said he has concentrated on painting Sunset Beach for the past

three years, taking one day each week to paint on location.

“Before I knew about the centennial celebration, I had noticed

some really interesting places here in town that I wanted to paint,”

Anderson said.

“I went back to revisit some of these spots, only to find they

were gone. That disturbed me a bit. I just took for granted that

they’d be there forever.

“Some of the subjects I’ve painted have been so interesting that

I’ve gone back to paint the scene from a different point of view.”

Anderson has also captured Huntington Beach.

His painting of the Golden Bear, a Surf City landmark whose doors

closed 19 years ago, can be found in the book “California Water

Colors: The California Style, 1930-70.”

“I’ve done block prints of the old Huntington Beach Pier and have

done works on the oil derricks and what is now known as the Newland

House,” Anderson said.

“Those are wonderful images of Huntington Beach’s history.”

Sunset Beach celebrated its centennial last September, Anderson

said, and he wanted to bring the anniversary full circle with this

exhibit.

The exhibit also coincides with the 10-year anniversary of

Anderson Art Gallery.

This is Anderson’s first solo exhibition at the gallery.

“I had to pick the right time, and I think with these two

anniversaries, the time is right,” he said.