When Hollywood celebrity and film star Cameron Diaz asked for assistance in the Anderson Gallery, she looked familiar, owner Bill Anderson thought.  "I feel like I should know you. Were you one of my students," he asked?  "No, my name is Cameron," replied the striking 5'9" blonde who's a member of the $20 Million Club (second only to Julia Roberts). Still not figuring it out, the owner continued to help the attractive young lady.

Returning a day later to pick up a sculpture of a mother and child she purchased, Diaz was invited to come back to the shop for an artist's modeling assignment from Ausma Anderson, Bill's wife and co-owner, who likewise, didn't recognize Diaz as a famous actress but noticed she had an ideal figure for portraits. When the co-owners were told by a customer that Cameron Diaz was one of the top actresses in film today, they laughed at their own lack of knowledge about contemporary films.

Such is life at Anderson Art Gallery where the owners and artists they represent are so immersed in art, they seldom have time to see movies. Collectors, actors and art lovers travel from around the globe to an unassuming storefront filled with one of the top collections of watercolors, sculptures and paintings featuring a select group of California artists recognized and lauded internationally. Buried amongst these art gems are even a few Salvador Dali sketches and works from other renown artists.

In the same manner that Bill & Ausma Anderson didn't know a Hollywood personality voted by People magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world, they say they are mostly ignored by locals from Huntington Beach and Sunset Beach where they live and work. 

Undeterred, Bill Anderson and his associates, Milford Zornes, Henry Fukuhara, Raul Anguiano and Huntington Beach resident Howard Hitchcock are featured in art books, hold exhibits in famous galleries and experience commercial success and recognition. When this group of watercolor painters (some recognized as the founding fathers of the California watercolor movement) held a unique exhibit, 420 Years of Creative Experience,  photos and stories ran in newspapers throughout Southern California, except for Huntington Beach where three local newspapers did not cover the story.

Anderson is puzzled but does not dwell on this phenomenon similar to the "cargo cult" syndrome experienced by tribes living in remote locations.  An anthropologist who studies cultures throughout the globe documented a tribe that could not see arriving ships.  Not part of their cultural experience, the natives could only see what they knew and understood. In a similar fashion, the California watercolorists paint familiar scenes and landscapes but their works are not literal. Perhaps their interpretations are either too familiar or too different to be noticed.

Artists would like to be recognized by their own communities but it doesn't always come easy. In Sunset Beach, an unincorporated community sharing borders and beaches next to Huntington Beach and Seal Beach in Orange County, California, Anderson Gallery features the works of world renown artists who live in the region but are better known in New York, Europe, Spain and around the globe. 

Anderson, a native of Minnesota, was an art teacher for 38 years, both in the Midwest and in California. Exhibits of his work have appeared throughout the world and some are part of permanent collections at the National Museum of Watercolor and National Museum of Printmaking, both in Mexico. 

Featuring the works of Hitchkock, Zornes, Anderson and other internationally known and celebrated watercolorists and sculptors, prices at the gallery are much less than in other galleries because the artist sells his and other artists' works directly to the public.  Original Zornes watercolor paintings, for instance, begin at only several hundred dollars but would cost over twice as much elsewhere. Bill Anderson, gallery owner, lives in Huntington Beach where he creates many of his paintings and sculptures.  He has taught art at California State University Long Beach for many years and is featured in books that include the Who's Who of watercolor history.

"It's a shame the local audience has no idea how famous our artists are and how much their works cost in New York, Paris and Rome where the paintings of highly-sought," said Anderson.

A visit to the gallery offers opportunities to explore the history and creativity of some of the world's finest artists through their works that span several decades. Anderson's works, for example, include paintings of the Golden Bear and other places and points of interest in Southern California. Howard Hitchcock's sculptures are light years ahead of the curve. Pictured above is a sculpture, Airport Check In, by Hitchcock, representing themes that are contemporary but were created by the artist many years ago.

Don't miss a visit to Anderson Gallery. It  is located at16812 Pacific Coast Highway, Sunset Beach, CA. 90742. (562) 592-4393. Hours: Fridays and Saturdays 1 to 10 p.m., Sundays 1 to 8 p.m., Mondays and Tuesdays by appointment.  Note: The images shown have been cropped and are not archival quality. For additional information or to purchase original artwork, call Bill or Ausma Anderson.

Milford Zornes, a California watercolor artist is perhaps the most recognized artist of the 20th - 21st century for the early California style. Now in his 90s and legally blind, Zornes is not deterred and continues to travel the globe and paint daily. He will be appearing to provide an entertaining and educational demonstration at the Huntington Beach Art League Meeting on March 2, 2005. Location: Michael E Rodgers Senior Center, 1706 Orange Avenue, Huntington Beach, California. Time 7:30 to 9:20 p.m. His previous appearance brought a standing-room only crowd to Huntington Beach.

His paintings appearing on this site are sold at Anderson Art Gallery in Sunset Beach, California. Anderson Gallery is located at16812 Pacific Coast Highway, Sunset Beach, CA. 90742. (562) 592-4393. Hours: Fridays and Saturdays 1 to 10 p.m., Sundays 1 to 8 p.m., Mondays and Tuesdays by appointment.  Note: The images shown have been cropped and are not archival quality. For additional information or to purchase original artwork, call Bill or Ausma Anderson.