Happened to be in town on the first Thursday of the month and checked out the Sonoma Art walk…read more Great turnout and great pours across all the stops. Arts Guild was the host of this months walk great event and friendly staff. What a great event!

When I'm in a new Town, if there's a local Arts Guild Shop, I'm there. Some of my best gifts or…read morehome artistic flourishes have come from such Cooperatives, with notable places including Barcelona, Edmonton, and Spirit Lake Iowa. And no matter where I go, I find the selection to be varied and unique, the quality high, the prices reasonable, and the background to a particular piece to be fascinating. I also feel good about supporting local artists and truly feel that such places are the best gift shops in Town. This time around, I bought a beautiful ceramic table piece. It has a distinct shape, stunning red colouring, good heft, and a nice feel to the touch. It was designed and crafted by Beverly Prevost, who I had chance to meet a few minutes later at La Haye Are Center next door. The Guild member working the Gallery was friendly and informative, and I didn't mind helping her figure out how to work the credit card machine. After all, Right Brain Creativity doesn't always translate to an immediate grasp of Left Brain Details.

The Sonoma Valley Museum of Art has two fascinating exhibits- Mexican art books (with subjects like…read moreSor Juana Ines de la Cruz&Mayan mythology) and Jack London's photography. One gets the international scope of Jack London's travels- from the leper colony in Molokai to the ravages of the Russo-Japanese War, along with the devastation of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake (that awakened Jack&Charmian in their Glen Ellen home) They give tours, local schoolchildren contribute to the exhibits, they have a small research library- but it looks like the Museum Cafe has been replaced with a gift shop. It IS surprisingly good for a small museum. The $10 admission is worth it. Their gift shop had an amazing coffee table book about the visionary art of New Mexican artists. If you have challenges finding them, they're next to a frozen yogurt/boba spot. A peaceful, artist oasis off hectic Highway 12.

This museum offers a wide range of contemporary art show including, but not limited to, sustainable…read morefashion, traditional masters, different looks of religion and beliefs of the world, to intriguing and though provoking public art and educational programs.

Gorgeous collections of contemporary and collectible Japanese Art…read more Definitely come and take a look when you can. There is no admission fee!

My favorite gallery in SF. I covet almost everything in there -- the curator has a great eye…read more Contrary to Chris M's review, I think there's actually very little that reminds me of Noguchi. Which is what I love about Japonesque: its collection reflects the diversity of contemporary Japanese art, not just what's made its way to Design Within Reach. Particularly impressive are the sculptures and shaped / carved canvases. If I ever have $60K to spend on some woodwork, I know where to go. In the meantime, this place will have to remain my lunchtime retreat.

While the art selection seemed nice, my mom and I visited this gallery recently, and were met with…read morea shocking level of admonition and rudeness coming from the owner. My mom has impaired hearing. Her mask came loose from her ear, and before she could put the mask back on the owner emerged from the back in an rather unpleasant, confrontational and angry tone. I had my mask on, and my mother fixed hers. About as unprofessional as we've ever seen. Needless to say, we won't be back and purchased art from another vendor. Main message here is to treat patrons with respect and kindness. We won't be back.

LOVE visiting this gallery each time I have been in Sonoma. The owner, Ms. Fairmont, has a keen eye…read morefor good art.

What a lovely little gem of a building that takes you back in time. 3-4 rooms filled with old town…read morememorabilia and historical sales and product from the sugar factory next door. It was free to get in, but gently asks for donations to help support. Lots one star from me as I would have really liked more description information on the different items. Otherwise you really are not sure what you are looking at :(

This was a fun stop and the whole reason I made a trip to Crockett…read more They have a wild miscellany of city history, industrial equipment, hobbyist work, and local flavor. I think I spent about 45 minutes wandering through the place, which is probably plenty unless you read everything. But I definitely recommend it for anyone who is into tiny museums - about 4-5 rooms that used to be a train station. Sadly, there's not that much that has that train station feel. But aside from that, if you've never seen a cream separator, punch card sorter, or a scale model of the National Cathedral (D.C.) and want to, this is your place. Staffed by friendly, knowledgeable docents who take pride in Crockett's history.

We enjoyed poking our heads through this art gallery in downtown Napa!…read more While most was out of our price range, we specifically enjoyed the stunning art that reflected our surroundings on the trip: Napa Valley vineyard landscapes, wine bottles, creative food and drink perspectives, and textured rural scenes. We didn't walk away with any purchase, but are grateful to have local art to peruse while exploring downtown Napa.

Gallery 1870 shows why Santa Fe's Canyon Road is a place for art rather than the Napa Valley. The…read moredesert brings out the artist in people (think Georgia O'Keeffe), while this place has Thomas Kinkade-like kitsch. This gallery forbids photography, but you're not missing anything. There are campy depictions of Native Americans, landscapes that recall the "Painter of Light",an occasional quality piece (like a portrait of the Bard, William Shakespeare) It's a small gallery, everything is overpriced. And for Christmas in July, here's the Thomas Kinkade biopic trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5OQkxeHodk It's not so much like Lawrence of Arabia saying that the desert is clean, but the paintings here have a kitsch "cleanliness",as in idealized and sappy.

Daniel Hunter invited my Honey to his art opening. They are old colleges. I was thrilled. I've…read morenever been to Benicia. When we arrived I was surprised how quaint Benicia was and there huge art community. It turns out that we arrived for there 2nd Saturday Art Walk. I had no idea they still existed. I loved the environment and people. They were all so nice. Our first stop was Gallery 621. We lucked out at finding a parking spot a little over a block away. The place was packed. The gallery is a co-op gallery. Every member takes turns manning the gallery and they all pay in to show there art. They had a good collection of art work and a few statues. The galley was really buzzing. The few people I talked to either were artists or people who followed the artists. I talked to another couple and they drive in once a year to see Daniel's shows. He has quite a following. His work has evolved over the years. This show was wax and spray paint and many layers. Below you can see page 3. We are now proud owners of page 3. Honey is on the left and Daniel on the right. I love Daniel's shirt.

This lovely gem is right on the main street of Benicia. While my cousin and I were walking down the…read moreroad from Sailor Jacks. This gallery has a nice array of local and non-local art. This is a must is you are in the Benicia area. The owners are lovely and welcoming people that know their art and show the finest of local talent.WE were ready to walk in and they were hanging one of their Halloween displays outside and asked for our opinion. The next time you are in town..stop in and experience their art displays, who knows you may find a piece or two that you would love to buy and take home with you!!

This ceramics gallery profiles the nicest ceramic work I've seen. Matt Metz's work was on display…read morewhen I was in and it was beautiful. Bob was working and we a great chat about a broad array of art sculpture and woodworking. He has been in the sculpture and craft world and knows his stuff! I look forward to stopping in regularly to see what beautiful work he has on display.

Sandy owns & runs this wonderful gallery. You can always find a gem. I have been a customer for…read moreyears and encourage you to check it out.