The Charming Town of Cotati

Cotati_s

Blink while driving up Highway 101 and you’ll miss the charming town of Cotati. The city center sports an unusual hexagonal shape with coffee shops, cafés, and sculpture, complementing the small town feel. Home to two music festivals, the Cotati Jazz Festival in June, and the internationally renowned Accordion Festival in late August, Cotati surely is a place to keep both your eyes and ears open.

Umbrellas in the Rain

Healdsburg_Umbrellas

It’s hard to believe it rained in Healdsburg this late in June, but it did. Cool temps with highs in the mid 60’s lasted for several days and it felt more like February. But this weekend we have a complete turnaround with highs forecasted above 100° and humidity 2-3 times higher than normal. I hope the grape vines are holding out through this fickle weather.

Marin French Cheese

Some of you may remember this sketch I created last fall of the Marin French Cheese Factory:

the_cheese factory_Petaluma_sWell, the illustration I created from the sketch is now used on the cheese label. I’ve tasted the cheese and it’s wonderful! Pick some up at your local cheese shop today.

Marin French Cheese

 

“Impressions of Greece” in Greece

Artist_parthenon 2

My sister is taking a study abroad program this summer and just arrived in Greece. She brought along a copy of my book The Artist on the Road: Impressions of Greece and was kind enough to take a few pictures of the sites I painted when I was there. How exciting to see my art book travel back to where it was created.

Note from my sister: “Unfortunately they’re restoring the Parthenon from your cover, but it was still very cool to compare. Also, we had taken apples from breakfast with us. I had your book open and one of the guys traveling with us asked why you had painted an apple, so I read him that part from your book where that woman gave you an apple. Then we took our apples out of bags and ate them. It was a cool moment.”

Greek apple

While I was painting the Erechtheon, a Greek woman came up to me and commented on my drawing. Then she pulled out an apple out of her bag and gave it to me. She was so nice.

Erechtheon with Karyatids

Erechtheon with Karyatids

Porch of the KariyatidsPorch of the Karyatids

Bear and Dr White

My Sister (Bear) is on the left and her instructor Dr. White is on the right.

My book, Artist on the Road: Impressions of Greece, is available on Amazon.

Vintage Passenger Train in Asti

Asti train_s

In 1881, Andrea Sbarbono developed an agricultural colony just south of Cloverdale that would later become known as Italian Swiss Colony. In the 1960s, the Colony produced TV commercials that strangely, featured a little old man as a winemaker costumed in an Alpine hat and lederhosen. He closed the commercial with the classic phrase, “That little old winemaker, me!”

Today the wine facility is home to Cellar No. 8 winery. Near the tasting room, two vintage train cars sit in the middle of a vineyard, a carryover from glory days of the 1960s when the Italian Swiss Colony tasting room received more than 10,000 visitors per year.

 

The Artist on the Road: Impressions of Greece

The Artist on the Road book

Amazon has just put my book “The Artist on the Road: Impressions of Greece” on sale at 46% off! I don’t know how long it will be available at this price (it could be permanent). Pick up your copy today!

Bonus! Anyone who purchases (or have already purchased) a paperback copy of “The Artist on the Road” can download a FREE ebook version (epub or pdf) of the book. Please email me for details: Richard(at)Artstudios(dot)com.