Gayle and I last visited the Sonoma Plaza area 2 years ago. Since that time, there seems to be more…read morewine tasting places and some turnover in retail shops. I don't recall Changing Seasons Gallery & Gifts the last time we were here, but then again I'm not conducting a census. The other issue after visiting all the gift/home furnishing shops around Sonoma Plaza is that they start looking the same after awhile. As such, Gayle and I wandered around here for several minutes, admired a few interesting glass pieces, listened to some interesting local conversation, and left without much of an impression either way.

I took a class here on Polaroid emulsion. There were only 3 of us. It was hands on. The instructor…read morewas awesome. I came home with 3 prints I made. The cost was reasonable.

While in this new Marin MOCA location another patron began voicing his unhappiness to the woman…read moreworking there. He was annoyed that the Novato location had closed and that this new site was a mere shadow of that. I perked up my ears; until that moment I'd assumed that this new San Rafael spot was a second outpost of Marin MOCA. It is not. As much as I generally appreciate contemporary art I have to say that the new Marin MOCA leaves a lot to be desired. It 's one large room with a few small rooms and it currently features an exhibit on - maybe - water. There's no signage to tell you what you're seeing but a booklet has been prepared to page through to learn more about the installations. The booklet may as well have been written in a foreign language as it was in no particular order, one had to repeatedly flip through its pages to find something that looked to be what one was standing in front of, the explanations were incomprehensibly long, and of one piece that I could not find a write-up on it was explained to me that "the artist changed the piece she decided to display after the booklet was made". Can we please just go back to some simple plaques beside the artworks that describe the works in language that is comprehensible? The current installation features some interesting components but honestly, one shouldn't have to work so hard to comprehend them. I wish only continual improvements to Marin MOCA in their new digs. I'd like them to stick around but I'd also like them to improve their offering.

In Santa Fe ("The City Different"), art is part of its essence. In the Napa Valley, on their hand,…read moreit's more about the wine&the food that fleetingly please the palate over more permanent works of art- https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/Napa-Winery-galleries-pair-works-of-art-with-wine-3413495.php Even if a winery has art, it's not exactly intoxicating. Napa Valley Open Studios deftly counters this- and for a good cause, scholarships for students. You can meet artists at their studios, watch them at work, get some artwork yourself. Over the years, I've gone to a secluded home studio atop Mt. Veeder, gone to the Napa Box Building (in a mixed industrial/residential part of town) to behold some surrealism, enjoyed refreshments&artwork at the Jessel Gallery in the Atlas Peak region. There's a huge variety of artists&artwork. It's an educational experience.

This is a fantastic free, self-guided, art tour taking place over two weekends including nearly 100…read moreartists. This year will be year 27! The whole thing is put on by volunteers with a portion of the proceeds going to local scholarships. This is a great weekend for tourists and locals alike to get out and about to some really cool art studios all over Napa.

I am speechless! Orna, it is everything we dreamed and WAY MORE! Thank you for making our vision…read morecome life, what a spectacular and beautiful piece of artwork. Cannot wait to sign and frame it for our lifetime. I still can't comprehend how you completed this without errors in only a few weeks So grateful! Thank you for putting your heart and soul into this whole project. We highly recommend!!!

I don't know how to thank you for this but you basically saved our wedding. We called orna at 6pm…read morethe Thursday before our wedding this coming weekend because our ketubah we ordered online was delayed and she helped get us a rush ordered one overnight. I'm so happy and wish you the best! Will recommend to anyone looking for a ketubah

Yet another local gallery that came & went before anybody really noticed that it was there. We…read moreloved going to their receptions & special events, & they really had some professional artwork there too. Most notably, when Andrew Annenberg, the painter, had an extraordinary art exhibit at Risk Press. We were extremely impressed with his fine artwork. We've never seen anything like this in our lives, & we've been going to art galleries for decades. Mr. Annenberg is truly a gifted genius, & his was the very best art ever there. Definitely our favorite gallery in sebastopol. Now it's gone as well.

Located in The Kenwood Farmhouse, this boutique was just getting started when we stopped by on…read moreMarch 27th (so new in fact that they were working on their signage as we shopped!) everything that we saw showed that the shop had a lot of promise :). The super friendly staff showed us around and even gave us a little personal history regarding the items (thimble-sized pottery) that I was purchasing. Offering an ecletic collection of clothing, shoes, jewelry, home decorations and collectibles, it's sure to please those with a flair for vintage and semi-vintage novelties and goods :).

The Hess Collection Winery 4411 Redwood Road Napa CA 94558 (877) 707-HESS (4377) Open 10 am to 4 pm…read moredaily This winery is off the beaten path, and displays an ever changing and solid modern art collection that makes a stop there, along with the wine, a pleasant experience.

Outstanding experience period. These folks really know how to treat people. Very different…read moreexperience from the other vineyards with an interesting art collection and media rooms to help the novice and others better understand the process. A 5 star experience and a must see. Don't miss this one. Thx to Sue our guide for her red carpet treatment.

If you are ready to grab a Christmas tree, you've got three lots in Novato…read more Dons was close to home and had a friendly, easy going staff. The trees all looked healthy and had lovely branches for our heavy ornaments. Tom helped me trim the lower branches so it fit my funky stand. We were in and out quickly and the prices were market rate.

Great service. Very organized tree aisles. Helpful. Pricey though but will go back next year!read more