‘Obras de OCLAN’ Looks Beyond the Latino Landscape : Art exhibit: Some, but not all, of the works selected by members of the Orange County Latino Artist Network reveal social commentary.

A pair of portraits figure prominently in the “Obras de OCLAN” exhibit at Fullerton’s Hunt Library. One is of Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata, the other of Joe Hill, legendary activist in the American labor movement.

Both painted by Emigdio Vasquez, a longtime member of the Orange County Latino Artist Network (OCLAN), they seem to make a connection between two cultures. A history of rebellion is certainly not the only commonality between Mexico and the United States, but it is an obvious one.

The oils, done in the flat style of traditional heroic portraits, reflect OCLAN’s goal to “enhance the ethnic, historic and social traditions of the community,” Latino and otherwise. They also underscore the show’s timing--opening in early September and continuing through Oct. 27, “Obras de OCLAN” honors Mexican Independence Day, which was Wednesday.

This 27-piece exhibit is not specifically political, however. “Obras de OCLAN” translates simply as “work of OCLAN,” and many of the mixed-media paintings are simply the favorite pieces of the group’s members. Serene landscapes hang next to inflammatory, message-oriented offerings.

Abram Moya Jr.’s “Corporate Mercenary” features a soldier sitting on a chair that serves as a cage for several abused peasants. He holds a book titled “book of profit”; nearby lies an oil drum marked “edible toxics.”

Two Arthur Valenzuela paintings hang nearby: “Night Raid,” in which Valenzuela uses swirling strokes of green paint to give the impression of a figure ripping through the air with a knife, and “Daddy’s Gone A Hunting,” in which a figure that appears to be a soldier holds a bloody weapon.

Moya has a deceptively peaceful watercolor of the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace in Yorba Linda titled “Proof: ‘Crime Does Pay.’ ” Benjamin Valenzuela returns to the battlefield with his monochromatic “Desert Storm,” a tank-strewn scene of destruction in the Persian Gulf War.

Henry Godines’ “No Milk Run Today” and “Gentile and Wingman” are a pair of paintings of World War II dogfight scenes that may be straightforward depictions or extremely dry satires of Anglo heroism.

The show becomes more personal with Benjamin Valenzuela’s two self-portraits. Done with raised, earthy surfaces specked with shards of glass and mirror bits, they present the artist as half flesh and blood and half skull.

Things are more subdued in Rosa Williamson’s “In the Garden,” a quiet vision of an old woman watering her lawn, and in two still-lifes, one “with oranges,” the other “with wine bottle.”

Moya also shows he has a quieter side with his watercolor landscapes “The Pond,” a simple scene painting of a woodsy retreat, and “The Village,” which portrays what appears to be a small Mexican town.

Vasquez moves from his revolutionary portraits to landscapes with “Parking Lot,” a contemporary street scene that could be from Santa Ana or East Los Angeles. He brings a more universal touch to a pair of rural paintings, “Sunset” and “Arizona Landscape II.”

* “Obras de OCLAN” continues through Oct. 27 at the Hunt Library, 201 S. Basque Ave., Fullerton. Hours: Monday through Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free. (714) 738-5364.