As someone who grew up surrounded by historic buildings, Southern California can often feel like a sea of new and shiny. The Los Rios Street Historic District is a charming break from that landscape, a sweet example of an 18th-century California village. 40 adobe structures were constructed at the present site of Los Rios Street in 1794 to house the Native Americans who labored at the Mission San Juan Capistrano. The street was originally named Calle Occidental or "West Street" in reference to its orientation to the western edge of the mission grounds.

The Montanez Adobe is thought to be one of the original adobes. It was the home of Dona Poloninia Montanez, the daughter of Tomas Gutierrez, an early mission carpenter. Between 1886 and 1910, the building gained spiritual significance following the secularization of the Mission. Dona Montanez created a tiny chapel in the adobe which became the village sanctuary. She served as the spiritual leader for the community as well as the village midwife and nurse.

I have been showing my artwork and working two shifts a month at The Cottage Gallery on Los Rios, and as I left one evening, the Montanez Adobe was shining in the most beautiful golden hour light. At that moment, I knew I must paint its portrait. The grounds of the adobe feature a butterfly garden, so I placed a small monarch butterfly in the scene, and of course I couldn’t resist adding in one of the famous cliff swallows that return to the area from their winter home in Argentina around March 19. I also added a white rose as a nod to Dona Montanez and her role in the village.

This original watercolor painting measures 16x12” and is sold in a square profile custom black metal frame and white mat, which brings the overall size of the piece to 22.5x18.5”. The painting was created using watercolor paint on acid free, cold press 300 lb. Arches watercolor paper and ships free.