Jenner by the Sea

I went out early yesterday to meet with my drawing group, the Sonoma Sketchers, this time in Jenner. Jenner is a small town along California’s famous coastal Highway One. The town itself is so small that if I blinked, I would have missed it. But I certainly didn’t miss this view along the rocky coast line. Many other people pulled off the road to check out the view and as an extra bonus were treated to a pair of seals frolicking in the bay below. After drawing for an hour or so, I noticed that none of the other members of the group showed up. Ah well, I had a great time drawing and hanging out with the seals.

Foot Bridge Crossing the Petaluma River

Recently, I met with a few friends at the Apple Box café in downtown Petaluma, CA for some sketching, coffee, and light conversation. For the last several years, Petaluma has been regentrifying the downtown area along the river, with many new outdoor cafes and walkways. The place looks great but thankfully, there are still a few industrial buildings left to make it eclectic and interesting. I brought my landscape Moleskine watercolor sketchbook in hopes of finding a good place to draw. I chose the foot bridge crossing the Petaluma river as my subject. While I was painting, a small dog tried to crawl through the metal fence I was leaning on and stuck it’s self half way through. Its owner pushed and pulled trying to loosen the dog but eventually had to climb over the fence and pull the poor dog through. People sitting at the cafe laughed and cheered as they watched the event unfold.

Last night I discovered the First Annual Rivertown Revival in Petaluma got underway not long after we left. There were apparently swarms of people boating and dressed up in vintage costumes. Had I’d know beforehand, I’d have stuck around for the opportunity to draw the event.

Chateau St. Jean Garden Sculpture

Seven members of the drawing group Rural Sketchers of Sonoma County met today at Chateau St. Jean Winery in the Valley of the Moon, Sonoma County, CA. The weather was perfect, the gardens were beautiful, and I drew this statue that was near a fountain. I used an SKB “James Jean” pen with my moleskin sketchbook. The SKB pen is perfect for drawing because of a feathery line quality  can be achieved with a light, brush like stroke. I had some difficulty making the drawing look like a sculpture rather than a real person because the sculpture looked so lifelike.

Freestone, CA

I received an invitation from Sebastopol artist Susan Cornelis to sketch, along with several other artists, in Freestone (near Sebastopol, CA). Freestone is a tiny country town, with enough sheep, cows, and goats to outnumber the residents. I had never sketched in Freestone before but knew it had creative possibilities. I met Susan at a figure drawing workshop a number of years ago and discovered she is a terrific sketchbook artist. She also teaches art classes at her studio and today, I’ll get to meet some of her students.

I took advantage of the sunny weather and headed out early. While sipping freshly brewed coffee along the 45 minute trip from Healdsburg, I took the longer, but prettier route along East Side Road, a wooded, windy road, among vineyard-covered hills. The apple I had for breakfast was not quite enough to satisfy but I was holding out for the Wild Flour Bread, a well loved bakery in Freestone. This bakery has all kinds of tasty treats from cheese fougasse, and Egyptian pear bread, to ginger pear scones, all baked in a wood fired brick oven. Their breads are all risen with organic sour dough (fermented flour and water) and wildly popular here in the San Francisco Bay Area. The place was packed with people but after a short wait, I was able to buy a sweet smelling sticky bun, all coiled up like a snake.

Back outside in the crisp morning air, I located Susan with a group of other artists all ready to sketch. We spread out around town on fences, car hoods, and folding chairs, catching the attention of people as they passed by. I choose a place in the grass across from the bakery, set up my chair, and pulled out my art supplies. I drew the bakery and the shop next door, called Enduring Comforts, that sells vintage furniture, linens, and jewelry. Feeling hungry, I reached into my bag and pulled out my sticky bun still warm and smelling of cinnamon.

Joy Springs Ranch

Deborah, (A friend of a friend) has a ranch called “Joy Springs Ranch” out on Old Skaggs Spring Road just outside of town here in Healdsburg. A few friends of mine gathered there a while back for sketching, barbecuing, and good conversation. After driving an hour up a winding road to the property (located west of Lake Sonoma), the artists of the group headed out into the semi-wilderness for creative inspiration. A creek running through the property caught my eye and I danced along its edge until I came upon this bend and set up shop to draw. Luckily, my Moleskin sketchbook held up nicely with watercolor because often times the paint just beads up on the page. Back at the ranch in the late afternoon, it was cold while prepping the food, but the fire on the grill helped keep us warm. As the day turned into night, we retreated indoors for dinner and warmth. I served a special treat, Scharffenberger chocolate brownies for dessert.

Alexander Valley

Yesterday I drove up Geysers Road just outside of Healdsburg looking for a good place to paint. I haven’t painted in a while mostly due to the wildly wet weather we’ve been having. About a mile or so up the road, I found a vineyard creeping up a steep hill overlooking the Alexander Valley. I pulled out my paints, leaned against the car for support, and began to sketch the landscape. Since returning from Greece, I have found drawing in Sonoma County different and I’m looking forward to rediscovering it. The light is different here and the country side is so lush with greenery compared to the almost desert landscape of Greece.

Clouds slowly drifted by and the crisp air kept my nose cold. I began to smell rain and looked North catching a double rainbow just beyond the next bend in the road. I put the last splash of color on my painting, I set my supplies down and I chased the rainbow up to where I could see it in its entirety. After a couple of quick pictures, the sky darkened. Large drops of rain splashed all around and I made a quick dash back to the car just before the downpour.