“West Of Lincoln” Painting

A Community Portrait of Venice, California

Created as the centerpiece of The West of Lincoln Project, this painting brings together more than 300 participants and represents the collective memory of Venice through photographs, stories, interviews, and community contributions gathered over a two-year period. The work serves as both portrait and archive, documenting a generation of Venice residents whose experiences shaped the cultural identity of the neighborhood. 

Over a two-year period, photographs, oral histories, interviews, memories, and community contributions were gathered from people connected to Venice and became the foundation for this painting. As stories were collected and shared, the work evolved into a visual record of a community known for its diversity, creativity, resilience, skate culture, and strong neighborhood identity. Many of the experiences represented were documented during a time of rapid change in Venice, as longtime residents witnessed increasing development, displacement, and the transformation of the community they had called home. Through these collected voices and memories, the painting serves as both a work of art and a historical portrait of Venice as remembered by the people who lived it.

PARTICIPANTS in “West of Lincoln” painting:

Ric Clayton, Jenny Moore-Prather, Anna M. McGuirk, Ananda Jaynes with Mom and Joseph Anson, Noah Pachnowski, Dylan Pachnowski, Jon Reneau, Mark Rosenberg for Cheapskates, Doug Mug Swanson, Hassan DeSalles with Jason Sugars, Michael Cramer, Monica Leyba, Joey Leyba, Salvador Gonzales, Shannon Robinson LeFort for Bob Dean Robinson, Xavier Rimmington, Campbell Rimmington, Christina Brunk Stroh for J.Kevin Brunk, Bingwa, Stacy McDannold, Bernardo Charca, Jeff Cody Morris, Colleen Graham, Dale Henderson, Jim Fallon & Brady Dalton, Melanie Camp & Tricka, Luciano Mota, Carolyn Rios, Roxanne Rossi Kovak, Tamira L. James, Beth Allyn/MsVenice, Kristina Peterson, Renee Smith, Mona Perez Freedman, Carrie Hayrup for Eugene Tarango, Laura Ceballos, Richard (Dopey) Cortez and Robert (Trippy) Ayres, Francisco Letelier, Kori Cody Worman for George Del Rio, Miguel Bravo, Joann Goodwin, Sybil Roberson, Denise Woods and Gena Lasko.

BIG THANKS to Ray Rae, David Scott, Mathew Martin, Care Burns, and Steven Luciano for use of their photos.

Venice taught me that dreams come true if you don’t give up. — Gloria Omar

We were raised like a wolf pack in Dogtown. — Solo Scott

Everybody knew everybody. It was a rough place, but it was home. – Anonymous