This weekend they had a fun event in Sonoma County called "Barrell Tasting."  As you would guess, you drive to various wineries in the area and get to taste right out of the barrels.  You also can buy "futures" of the wines you tasted that will be ready for sale in 12-18 months. 

There were over 100 wineries partipating, and we have over 500 in our county alone, believe it or not!  So, we picked some smaller, newer wineries that we had not been to, or hadn't even heard of yet.  I was the designated driver for my group, and had a great time even though my family was getting pretty silly by the end of the day!

The day gave me a chance to relax, talk to people, and observe the wonderful color in nature.  As an artist that is inspired by color, observing the colors around me is a thrill.  Especially in the Northern California Wine Region I live in, which is one of the most beautiful places on the planet.  Now keep in mind that it is March, so many of the trees are bare and not much is growing yet.  But yet, wild mustard in brilliant yellow is evident in all the vineyards, and it looks stunning.... 

I consider painting coins (or anything else, as that goes) as my "therapy."  Life is stressfull, and so allowing some time to zone out, paint, and make something beautiful is essential to my well being.  I have collected coins with animals on them for over 15 years, preferring not to fall into the usual category of collecting "dead presidents" which is most US coins.  In 2009, I am heading down the path of combining my passion for coins with my love for doing any kind of art activity. 

Make the art is fun and easy for me, selling it is another story.  Although I am an outgoing professional (I am an accountant for a nonprofit by day), I don't easily switch to selling, especially if it is something I have made.  So, I am going to go out into the web and see if this slower one-on-one pace works for me.  I intend for this Blog to be a chance to share my artistic adventures, and what ever else comes up.

"An Optimist feels we live in the best world possible, a pessimist fears this is true."