Lompoc is well known as the “City of Art and Flowers,” but the art tag is a recent addition to the slogan. From its earthy origins as an agricultural town, Lompoc has evolved into more, thanks to the efforts of generations of volunteer artists who have helped beautify the creative bastion.
One such artist, Carol J. Oliveira, remembers when she arrived in Lompoc 45 years ago, and though she had never taken art seriously, she felt compelled to pick up a paintbrush and learn.
“I didn’t paint when I was younger, but when we moved to Lompoc, that’s when it hit me that I needed to paint,” Oliveira said. “There is just something in the air here.”
Her interest began humbly enough as a kind of relaxing break from the family business. Oliveira didn’t foresee, however, showing her art in galleries one day. Her latest exhibition, Things That Make Me Smile, currently showing at the Lompoc Museum is a good summation of the themes and subjects that have motivated Oliveira to always pursue with art.
“Art has been a major mover in my life,” she said. “I think that, honestly, I paint things to make me happy and to sometimes stretch my ability. I think we all want to compete against ourselves and make things better as we go on.”
Working alone in her home studio, Oliveira creates original oil paintings from photographs she has collected in her travels as well as portrayals of subjects like her late husband. Oil paintings require a good amount of time and patience to create due to the length of time it takes the paints to dry. In this slow process, she may be creating several paintings simultaneously.
Though her solo work is created at home in private, Oliveira has been a longtime contributor to Lompoc’s most public arts group, the Lompoc Mural Society. Currently serving as the chairperson for the Lompoc Mural Society, Oliveira has been with the group for decades, and has been involved in each Mural in a Day event since it began in 1991.
“Most artists are kind of sequestered, we paint individually,” she said. “But during an event like the Mural in a Day, you learn to paint in concert, which is a great thing.”
As a longtime member of the Lompoc Valley Art Association, Oliveira’s work has shown at the Cypress Gallery and other venues in Lompoc, but this is her first exhibition at the Lompoc Museum. Dee Frasher curates the Lompoc Museum’s Centeno Gallery and hangs the works that show there. Frasher’s hanging and lighting of the show, Oliveira explained, has made the show one of her most exciting yet.
“It’s one of the nicest things I have done, really,” Oliveira said. “This little gallery is just a gem, and with the lighting and everything, it looks so good. I’m just so happy.”
Things That Make Me Smile isn’t limited to oil paintings, but also includes some acrylic works of Oliveira’s. The longtime Lompoc resident and arts community volunteer hopes locals will enjoy her show at the historic Lompoc Museum location and hopes it will inspire other residents to get involved with groups like the Lompoc Valley Art Association and the Lompoc Mural Society.
“It’s becoming a vital area in Lompoc, which is exciting to many of us who have been involved for so long,” she said. “I think it’s given people an opportunity to participate in things artistically that they never would have done.”
Catch the show
The Lompoc Museum presents the exhibit Things That Make Me Smile through Jan. 11 at the Lompoc Museum, 200 South H. St., Lompoc. Suggested donation is $1. More info: 736-3888 or lompocmuseum@verizon.net.
Arts Editor Joe Payne knows it’s easier to smile than to frown. Contact him at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Nov 20-27, 2014.