Healdsburg’s Clock Tower

Healdsburg’s downtown square is getting harder to sketch during the summer months because the trees that line the sidewalks have grown noticeably larger. I remember when I first moved here almost eleven years ago, the clock tower was the defining landmark of the downtown area and could be seen a block or two away depending on the direction of the viewer. Today, the tower can only be seen in its entirety from one angle–along Healdsburg Avenue. But with autumn fast approaching, the leaves will soon fall off the trees enabling me to sketch the eclectic buildings once again. For this drawing, I stood in front of Sandy Erickson’s art gallery looking west across the street.

Heavy Equipment Moves into Healdsburg

Heavy Equipment moved into Healdsburg this past week to level the remaining walls of the Healdsburg post office that was destroyed in an electrical fire on August 14. It didn’t take long for the wrecking crew to demolish the structure using this clawed monster.

The presence of a downtown post office is much valued by residents but the cost of maintaining the pricy location might be prohibitive for the USPS. Mail is currently being accepted at the Foss Creek location.

To see my drawing of the post office just after the fire, click here.

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.”

Marilyn Soaking up the Afternoon Sun

My wife Marilyn loves to swim, especially on warm summer days like today. She’s often said how much she enjoys the exercise and the simple pleasure of being out of doors, breathing in the fresh coastal air. Most days she swims at the club but today she was taking care of a friend’s cat in Alexander Valley and the owners offered the use of their pool as an added bonus. I tagged along for the company and since we’ve both been so busy lately, it was nice for us to have some time to catch up with each other and enjoy a little afternoon sun.

While Marilyn kicked her way back and forth across the pool, I lounged under a patio umbrella hiding from the stinging rays of the afternoon sun. While relaxing, I became entranced with the sun light as it danced on the surface of the water. The delicate, rhythmic motion of light had a calming effect and reminded me once again what life is about.

Dripping wet, my wife exited the pool and laid down on the deck to warm up. With my attention now shifted, I drew a foreshortened view of Marilyn as she soaked up the sun and immortalized her in my sketchbook. It was nice to have a change of scenery for a couple of hours and a pool all to ourselves.

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!