Orange County Series: 1986-1991

This painting series by Jeff Del Nero reflects his deep affection for the region. While working for an urban planning firm, he became captivated by Orange County’s transition from its agricultural past to a landscape shaped by technology and residential development.

“New vs. Old” emerged as his central theme as he observed the patterns of fields and hillsides evolving into the vertical forms of buildings under construction. Beyond documenting this shifting landscape, Jeff playfully personified the archetypes of both urban and rural life. A recurring motif explored the changing fortunes of farmers whose new prosperity came through real estate while recalling the strawberry fields and orange groves that lined Trabuco Road from Tustin to El Toro.

Beaches and rolling hills dotted with grazing cattle formed the backdrop for planned communities. Looping overpasses and ribbons of freeway bisected the spaces between cities and the county’s expanding tracts of homes. This series of paintings documents the history of Orange County in the mid-1980s and early-1990s.