Category: Sonoma County

Boats Parked like Cars along the Petaluma River

Over Labor day weekend, I sat on the patio of the Apple Box Cafe in Petaluma and watched sailboats and small yachts motor up the river and park side by side like cars along the river bank. I’m guessing there was some type of social event going on because with temperatures in the mid 80’s, I’d have been heading the other way — towards the San Francisco Bay. But the situation was to my advantage because the boats provided excellent subjects to draw. Between the river and where I was sitting, a fenced off railroad track sign warned “No Trespassing.”

Tugboat on the Petaluma River

I’ve driven over the D Street bridge that crosses the Petaluma River many times and I always made a mental note to draw the tugboats anchored along the river bank someday. Finally, over this past Labor Day weekend, I found the time. I arrived early in the morning while the sun was still obscured by fog and parked myself in the middle of the walkway along the D street bridge looking southeast. About a half an hour into the drawing, I heard the bells of a railroad crossing but didn’t pay much attention to it. After a minute or two, a man on the other side of the bridge called out to me to get off the bridge. That’s when it dawned on me that I was standing on a draw bridge! I grabbed my art supplies and ran to the river bank. Sure enough, two large gears attached to the side of the bridge rotated it upward. Shortly thereafter, three sailboats with their tall, sail-less masts motored under the bridge and down the river. When the bridge lowered, I resumed my location on the bridge and continued drawing. Durring the hour and a half it took to sketch this drawing, the bridge was raised three times for boats to pass.

Sketch of Tippi Hedron While Signing Autographs

Sunday, I drove my dad to see Tippi Hedron at The Tides Wharf in Bodega Bay California. Tippi was full of life and holding up very well on her second full day of autograph signings. I could still see a touch of elegance and sophistication in her that I remember so well from her movies.

We arrived early in the day and still there were about twenty people in line holding all kinds of memorabilia, including photographs, movie stills, and Time magazines with Tippi on the cover. I stood back from the crowd and sketched a quick drawing of her in my Moleskine sketchbook. Although she didn’t look quite as young as I drew her here, she still looked great and I could tell from her laughter she was having a good time meeting with her fans.

Drawing of the Old School House From the Movie “The Birds”

The towns of Bodega and Bodega Bay are actually two separate places separated by several miles of windy roads. Both towns are mashed together in Alfred Hitchcock’s movie, “The Birds” to form one town on the bay. This is a recent sketchbook drawing I did of the old Potter school used in the movie. When I drew this, I remembered a painting that I had painted of the house a long time ago but hadn’t seen in years. Later that day when I got back to my studio, I dug through my drawers and found the original painting. Coincidentally, I had drawn the school house from almost exactly the same angle as I had 17 years earlier. It’s interesting while comparing the two drawings, how little the house has changed. Currently (Sept. 2010), the house is a private residence.

***This Labor Day 2010 weekend, Tippi Hedron who starred in Hitchcock’s 1963 thriller ”The Birds,” will be at the Tides Wharf and Restaurant in Bodega Bay to sign photos and other memorabilia 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 4 and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 5, 835 Highway 1, Bodega Bay. 875-2669. Autographing fee applies.

Watercolor of The Old School House from the Movie “The Birds”

When I first moved to the Bay Area in 1990, my mom recommended a restaurant in the town of Bodega where Alfred Hitchcock filmed the 1963 movie “The Birds.” She said it was the best meal she’d ever eaten and it had great atmosphere because the restaurant its self was located in the old school house used in the film. Unfortunately not long after she made the recommendation, the restaurant closed, making way for a bed and breakfast.

In 1993, my girlfriend and I decided to get out of town for the weekend and chose to stay in the old school house B&B. We drove an hour north of San Francisco to the town of Bodega, ready for a weekend of adventure. When we arrived at the house, I instantly saw why Hitchcock used the place—it looked mysterious and creepy. A large silhouette of Hitchcock was humorously placed in the upstairs window. Walking inside, the old building’s floor boards creaked as we walked from room to room. Upstairs, a large room (where breakfast would be served) was nearly vacant except for a table with chairs, and a TV with the movie “The Birds” in the cassette player.

Our room was on the ground floor, located in the school classroom and converted into a bedroom. A blackboard still decorated one wall and an old school desk sat next to the bed as a night stand. I couldn’t help looking out the window periodically, scanning the trees for birds. No one else stayed in the B&B that night but us. Not even the proprietor who left that evening doing errands and didn’t return until breakfast.

The next morning I painted while sitting on the bed, looking out the window. I added a few extra birds on the wire just for fun. After breakfast, I parked myself across the street and under a shade tree to paint the the old school house. Still remembering scenes from the movie, I imagined kids running out of the school and down the street, fighting off those fierce birds!

Bodega Bay, California

A trip to the coast is always a welcome escape from my busy life at home. The hustle and bustle of dogs, emails, and work, recedes from my thoughts and allows a gentle peacefulness to set in. While walking along the beach, I often feel that my life is about to change in some profound way, however small. That’s why I take two journals with me, one for drawing and the other to record my thoughts. After finding a comfortable place to sit, I watch the waves gently roll on the sand for hours at a time. My mind drifts in and out with the tide, leaving me with a sense of peace that lasts the rest of the day.

Storybook House of John Allred’s Pro Framing Services

Out drawing again with the Sonoma Sketchers, this time in Cotati, California. After grabbing a big cup of coffee at a local cafe, I meet with several other sketchers to invade yet another Somona County town with sketch artists.

It’s interesting to watch the reactions of passersby as we draw along city streets. Most people speed on by to get to their next appointment. But some are curious enough to stop and appreciate, at least for a moment, the everyday world around them. I had one person say, “wow, I never even knew that tree existed before.” Comments like that are one of plein air sketching’s biggest pleasures.

Today, I chose to draw John Allred’s Pro Framing Services shop that looks like a storybook house. I love the large tree that protects it from the afternoon sun. A while back I got a call from John asking me to stop by the frame shop and resign a print of my watercolor. Seems the buyer had a different idea of where to mat the print than I did and wanted me to resign it in another location. It’s an unusual request, but I obliged, making the customer happy.

Mystic Theatre and McNears Restaurant

While preparing for a trip to Greece last summer, I spent as many hours as possible sketching and painting out-of-doors. One of those days I was in Petaluma, California drawing the Mystic Theatre, a well known music venue. Built in 1911, the theater originally hosted live Vaudeville entertainment, but today it hosts a plethora of modern music with a focus on rock and blues bands. McNears Irish Pub next door helps keep people’s whistles wet before and after the shows next door.

The city of Petaluma has an eclectic selection of architecture ranging from brand new to early twentieth century, making it a great destination for drawing. But most often I find myself here for the pizza at Old Chicago. They serve up a mean deep dish pizza piled high with ingredients and oozing with cheese. I find it especially hard to resist after a day of drawing, like today.  In between the McNears Restaurant and Old Chicago, there is a vacant lot where a scene from the movie American Graffiti (directed by George Lucas) was filmed.