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Photos by Melania Mahoney
A small but mighty band of local artists is credited with helping make the Sonoma art scene what it is today. As vibrant as any other aspect of our city, dozens of artists have been drawn here over the years for the beauty of the surrounding scenery, the balmy climate and the friendly pace of life.
This group of artists is currently being recognized in a series of Internet videos posted on YouTube, called “Legacy Artists of Sonoma.” Created by local amateur videographer, Jim Bowden, each 10-minute video segment rolls through an interview with one of the artists, some background content as well as samples of each artist’s artwork. So far, the team has captured the essence of Alice Rhodes, Linus Maurer and Helene Minelli. Cedora Scheiblich will be videotaped at the end of the month.
To do the interviews and create the videos, Bowden is collaborating with his wife, Judi Danner, and full-time artist Janis Kobe. Kobe was Sonoma’s 2006 Treasure Artist and simply wants to preserve the legacy of these influential artists.
“Sonoma isn’t just about wine. People come from all and rave about the art we have here in town,” said Kobe. “We owe it to ourselves to record these amazing artists – each of whom have an incredible story to tell – who helped build Sonoma into one of the richest artistic communities in Northern California,” said Kobe, who plans to donate copies of the videos to the Fine Arts Commission, the local library and Sonoma Valley High School.
To view the videos, visit You Tube at www.youtube.com and search on the name of the artist.
