Dunites in Oceano

Links to the history of the Oceano Dunes, Elwood Decker, the Dunites and more!

Elwood Decker (1903-1992)
Elwood Decker; American painter, filmmaker, author,composer, ecologist, Dunite, and devoteeof Eastern thought, lived and worked in California's San Luis Obispo County and was the last of theDunites. We feel privileged to have known him and called him a friend.
Click the graphic or HERE to hear The Bobs sings, "Elwood Decker!"

The South County Historical Society ~ Dune Forum

The Central Coast of California has a rich and wild history. From the first national publication dedicated to vegetarianism to an arts and literature (and many other interesting pursuits) community known as the Dunites, that identified the expansive sand dunes in Oceano as one the few geomagnetic energy vortexes on the planet. And then there's that Hole in the Sky! Click the Hale-Bopp Comet photo above (by Norm Hammond) or Here for the Dune Forum.

UPDATE FROM DUNITE HISTORIAN, Norm Hammond

"Couple things going on here on my end. First off, I just signed a contract for the first reprinting of The Dunites. It's the first reprint of any of my works so I feel pretty good about that...

The other thing is, my book ELWOOD, Spirit of the Dunes is now out there as a Kindle ebook through Amazon. The present Kindle format is easy to work with but it presents some difficulties in working with graphics. That makes it somewhat difficult to write about an artist without showing any of his artwork.

What I wanted to do was insert some of Elwood's photos and artwork in the book that we've had on display at some of your shows at the Excellent Center in the past.  But working graphics into ebook format isn't real easy to do these days. The state of the art in ebook formats is constantly changing, so I should be able to bring in the visual aspects of the book in the not too distant future.  

So, the book only has text.  Much of that text is Elwood's own words and no artwork is in there yet, but at least our friend is now out there..."

Curious about the Dunites? Norm Hammond explains in the movie clip below.

The Mystery of Moy Mell and How to Find It
Around 1930, in the sand dunes west of Santa Maria, Calif., in the coastal town of Oceano, Chester Alan Arthur III, grandson of the 21st U.S.President, created Moy Mell (Gaelic for "pasture of honey").

The resident "Dunites" dug clams and tended gardens. One went naked, donning a loincloth for trips to town.

Within the 18-mile expanse of sand are ruins of some original shacks; historical displays are maintained at the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center near Highway 1.  
Driving directions and GPS coordinates HERE

"Dunescape," Elwood Decker

This is the poster for the 1994 exhibit of "Art of the Dunites."
Click here or on the poster to download the complete set of notes on the exhibit which includes a filmography of Dunite artist, Elwood Decker.

Below is a slide show of artworks by Elwood Decker. He caledl them "Photograms."

In other News from the Vortex: Ed Cassidy and Eugene Chadbourne came together for Jazz Summit 96 at the Excellent Center for Art and Culture in Grover Beach,Ca. March 30 1996. There's a lot more on the original tape and even more in the archives. Ed was part of the Excellent Radio team with his show "Swing is My Thing".

Home of the Energy Vortex