Historic Costa Mesa

Historic Costa Mesa

Allyson Jones Wong, 2012

A sepia-toned celebration of Costa Mesa’s history. Four images and a map – shimmying among different eras – showcase a 61-by-26 foot sepia-toned celebration of Costa Mesa’s history. The rear façade of a former Edwards Theater on Adams Avenue is where it is situated. “I didn’t want to slap people in the face with a lot of color,” Allyson Jones Wong said. Wong, who earned a bachelor’s degree in illustration from the Art Center College of Design Pasadena draws from styles ranging from Impressionism to photo realism.

“In the center is what Costa Mesa used to look like at different times — it’s a mishmash of various periods of local history,” Wong said. “A lot of people don’t know that there was a railroad that came down Harbor Boulevard and Newport Boulevard at different times. This green line indicates an army base during World War II, which is now Orange Coast College. This map depicts the transformation of the area.” Wong also crafted a border with a vintage cinematic feel, utilizing three custom-made stencils in most places and painting by hand in others, which exhibits Orange County’s agricultural stronghold.