Santa Monica annd Westside Paintingsby Steven John KoeppeAll paintings are available for sale unless noted as part of a collection.
In the late 1800s, Santa Monica served as the Port of Los Angeles and the California Incline was just an unpave road leading to the beach. At the foot of the grade it met a railroad track that made it's way past city hall, through the McClure Tunnel and then north tracing the route of Pacific Coast Highway to what's known today as Will Rogers Beach. A mammoth pier then carried tracks 4900 feet over Santa Monica Bay into deeper waters. At the structure's bayside end were 6 sets of rails, several warehouses, passenger and crew facilities and coal bunkers sharing a wharf 130 feet wide by 1600 feet long. Able to service 3 large vessels at once, it's reign as the world's longest and largest pier did not last long. In 1899, Los Angeles decided to build a new port in San Pedro. The long warf remained as a big fishing and pleasure pier but fell into disrepair. After damaging winter storms, it was shortened by half in 1916 and finally removed completely in 1924. Consider how different today's view might have been had the Port of Los Angeles remained in Santa Monica Bay. This painting is based on an antique photo. The stray penguin and post-Victorian ladies riding a horseless carraige were added just for fun.
Acrylic on canvas, 24x36", by Steven John Koeppe, 2004
This view north from the top of the California Incline features the famous Malibu coastline, where the Santa Monica Mountains abruptly meet the Pacific.
High-quality Giclé prints of this painting are available at any size.
In the 1940s, a stop light, not even a stop sign, was necessary to control traffic at the corner of Wilshire and Westwood Boulevards. Today, it's one of Southern California's most busy intersections. Note that only the original landmark buildings had been built. The painting is based on this antique photo.
2002 . Acrylic on canvas, 24x30", by Steven John Koeppe Looking south toward Santa Monica Bay from thePalisades Highlands, I am fortunate to enjoy this scene while I exercise. I take the North Beach bike path to Temescal Blvd., then ride inland to the trailhead. I hike the loop through the canyon, past a small waterfall and up a few switchbacks to the ridge. For me, it is a very special place.
2001 . Acrylic on canvas, 24"x36", by Steven John Koeppe
This painting was inspired by an old photo of five young surfers, circa 1940-50. Their long boards are arranged in the colors of the rainbow. These surfers were also painted to represent the many races who now enjoy the sport.
1987 . Acrylic on canvas, 44"x72", by Steven John Koeppe Have you ever wondered what Jesus would be like if he really did return? I wonder what he learned from his last experience: possibly how to keep his head low, stay healthy and smell the roses, instead of being nailed for speaking out?
1992 . Acrylic on canvas, 44"x54", by Steven John Koeppe What a wonderful sight: a red-haired beauty in a bright yellow dress, swinging high over Venice Beach. As soon as I saw this scene, I knew I'd have to paint it.
1993 . Acrylic on canvas, 36"x48", by Steven John Koeppe Collection of Mr. Richard Binko Once in awhile, we get to enjoy a really spectacular sunset, here. This was just such an evening, as an amazing combination of hot ambeauge and cool aqua colors painted this truly memorable scene.
1985 . Acrylic on canvas, 36"x48", by Steven John Koeppe Collection of John Sheppard Look up from the corner of 2nd and Arizona, sometime. From this angle, the Wilshire Palisades building appears to beacon to the jets decending along their flight path toward LAX.
Collection of Lorna Auerbach 1985 . Acrylic on canvas, 36"x48", by Steven John Koeppe Imagine a table top model of Santa Monica, looking down from from an exaggerated bird's eye perspective from a few hundred feet past the end of the pier. El Niñ storms ripped away the pier the previous year.) This painting was a chance for me to have some fun by get into a more primitive painting style. Hundreds of tiny people and cars are lovingly detailed. High-quality Giclé prints of this painting are available at any size.
1990 . Acrylic on canvas, 36"x48", by Steven John Koeppe Collection of Richard Binko, Esq. This is a painting of Ocean Park's "Twin Towers". It's my comment on the sorry way we denegrate and disrespect homeless Americans. Over 80% of the wealth of America resides in the hands of less than 5% of our citizens. They constantly complain of having to pay their taxes to a country which helped make them wealthy. US taxes are among the lowest in the industrialized world, so what are they complaining about? There's no longer a safety net to catch those who fall far and hard, sometimes taking children along for the rocky ride. For such a rich country, we're stingy with our less fortunate citizens, many of whom are veterans of wars to make the world safe for corporate greed. They get little help and no respect. High-quality Giclé prints of this painting are available at any size.
1987 . Acrylic on canvas, 42"x72", by Steven John Koeppe Collection of Gregory and Michelle Pearson Fine "land yachts" cruise Ocean Avenue as six dancing nuns part a sea of traffic. Following a late afternoon shower, the setting sun's ombeauge rays luminates life in rosy color. Newlyweds promenade, Peacocks and Flamingos strut, and six nuns cancan across a crosswalk. A bearded, perhaps blind man fools with, or is fooled by, a teenage girl.
1986 . Acrylic on canvas, 36"x48", by Steven John Koeppe Collection of John Sheppard If you know me, it may be hard to you imagine me as a Century City art director. It's a bit difficult for me to believe it, too, but it really happened. After about a year on the 18th floor, I concluded I was in the wrong place. Thus, began my long career and an independent, self-employed artist.
1994 . Acrylic on canvas, 36"x48", by Steven John Koeppe Collection of Frank H. DeJong and Tabesh Mirmirani I imagine this is what you'd see looking north from the vicinity of present-day Santa Monica Pier before the Portugese explore Cabrillo sailed into the bay. Only few bands of Chumash Indians lived in small fishing villages dotting the coast. I made a second version of the painting "Pre-Cabrillian Santa Monica Bay" by digitally adding one of Portuguese explorer Juan Cabrillo's ship's arrival at Santa Monica Bay in 1542. Cabrillo died after injuring himself in a fall while fighting off native Americans on one of the Channel Islands in 1543. High-quality Giclé prints of this painting are available at any size.
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