Wendell Dowling: Artist remembered
for murals, Cruise Nite T-shirts

September 11, 2015
Santa Paula News

Wendell Dowling has died after a sudden illness but his works—particularly the two murals he created for the city’s famed series of public artwork and the T-shirts he designed—will be a constant reminder of his devotion.

Dowling, 72, died Monday, September 7. 

Although at one time in his career Dowling said he was tiring of drawing cars and airplanes and did want to be known as a artist of mechanics, he changed his mind creating the “Santa Paula Transportation” mural on East Santa Barbara Street and the “Santa Paula Aviators” mural on East Main.

He is the only artist to have created two Murals of Santa Paula.

“Wendell was an institution around the Santa Paula Airport,” said Craig Mailloux, editor of Aviation in Santa Paula 1930-2015.

“Wendell was one of the first to be recruited as part of a team to produce a book about the 85 years of life at the airport. For several months this year he donated his time and talent to the design and layout and did some writing as well. He even sneaked in a few examples of the Dowling humor. It was a true labor of love.”

Although the book is not scheduled for release until October, “At least he got to see the finished book and had a copy of it. He was so proud, and,” noted Mailloux, “nearly speechless, when I handed an advanced proof copy to him.  

“It’s too late to put a written dedication in the book, but I know in our hearts, the team dedicates the book to Wendell.”

Any art Dowling created—from the massive murals to Cruise Nite T-shirts—showed an incredible attention to detail.

Dowling designed the Cruise Nite T-shirts since the car show was started 17 years ago, items of clothing that each month featured a special car shown on Main Street. They are considered collector’s items and the shirts have been transformed into quilts and pillow covers.

According to SPPD Commander Ish Cordero, Dowling had not yet designed the T-shirt for the October Cruise Nite, the last of the season.

But, “Henry,” Aguilar, who coordinates Cruise Nite with Dave Anderson, “suggested we use Wendell’s design of his own car again. Apparently his old orange Valiant station wagon was the car of the month for October years ago…Henry suggested we do that again,” which will depend on obtaining the original artwork.

If they do Cordero said extra shirts will have to be ordered, as many will want the last memento of the artist.

“We’ll miss him at Cruise Nite,” said Cordero. “He was very devoted to those shirts just as he was devoted to all the art he created.”

Dowling moved to Santa Paula in 1950 and in 1962 married his childhood sweetheart Lynne Mason—of the famed flying family—in 1962.

Architecture was an early career choice but Dowling soon realized it was too confining for his talents; he worked in advertising, commercial art and soon became a freelance designer.

He liked varied art, painting landscapes and portraits as well as drawings of local historic buildings. There is currently an exhibit of Dowling’s art titled “Machine Age Art” at the Museum of Ventura County’s Agriculture Museum.

Services will be held September 15 at 11 a.m. at Ventura Missionary Church with a reception later that day at the Aviation Museum of Santa Paula; Skillin-Carroll Mortuary is handling funeral arrangements.





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