In 1966, Richard Diebenkorn moved to Los Angeles to teach at UCLA, and he moved into a studio in a neighborhood referred to as Ocean Park in Santa Monica. In 1967, Diebenkorn moved from a small studio to a larger adjacent studio previously occupied by painter Sam Francis – it had large transom windows. It was here that Diebenkorn created his celebrated Ocean Park series. At the same time, James Turrell was across the street in the former Mendota Hotel, and the two artists would exchange studio visits.