Sonoma County Museum

Santa Rosa Post Office postcard

I had some business to attend to while in Sebastopol and after enjoying a delicious beer at Russian River Brewing Company,  I paid a visit to the Sonoma County Museum, just a few blocks away.  Housed in the former Santa Rosa Post Office, this grandly old fashioned building is now home to a unique and eclectic collection including work by Christo and Jean-Claude, early California landscape painters, photographs of life during the Great Depression, the work of local artists, and a lovely outdoor sculpture garden.

The current  exhibition features the work "Peace at Sunset" by Thomas Cole, considered to be the father of landscape painting in the United States.  The painting is on loan from the DeYoung Museum.  It is in it's own viewing room but before you enter that space, there is an adjoining room with a nicely organized interpretive exhibit about Cole and a little about what artists used at that time.

"Peace at Sunset" by Thomas Cole
1827

Titled "Wild Land", this exhibit explains a little about Cole's beginnings and for me the most interesting tidbit was that artists used pig bladders to store their paint before the advent of the collapsible paint tube.

paint inside pig bladder

In addition to dedicating the space and resources to this fine painting, the upstairs had a companion exhibit of landscapes from the Museum's permanent collection, showcasing the work of 19th and early 20th century artists such as Thomas Hill, William Keith, and John Gamble.   

Some of my favorites....

"Sonoma Valley"  by Ransome Gillett Holdredge

And other works by William Rice and a few unknowns but couldn't find the correct image.  The volunteer staff were enthusiastic and helpful -  Sonoma County Museum is worth the visit.  The museum is located in an area conducive to walking leisurely, stopping for art or for a few pints of very tasty beer.