Rancho Matilija, 1960

Oil Painting from 1960 of the area near the current Rancho Matilija. Titled on the back as "Matilija Ranch" 24x30 inches in vintage frame. A classic Ojai area scene. Artist: Marguerite Hardeman (1911-1990) Ventura County Artist. California muralist Marguerite Hardeman — a member of the Realistic Painters Group in Ojai who taught at Ventura College in the 1960s — created 25 murals, 15 of which are now in the Olivas Adobe art collection. They depict four centuries of Ventura’s history from the first encounter between Chumash and European explorers to scenes of Spanish and Mexican settlement – including the Mission and Mexican Rancho San Miguel of the Olivas family – and capped with a modern-day overview of the city from Grant Park. The murals are on display each year free for the public to view during the “Murals & Roses” exhibit at the Olivas Adobe in May or early June. In celebration of the City of Ventura’s 150th anniversary of the State of California granting Ventura cityhood, a panel of her work “Ortega Adobe” is included in the 2016 Art Tales contest.