Barbara White Perry: Capturing the art of Sonoma

By Jackie Lee | Sun Art Notes

Barbara White Perry, the 2015 Sonoma Treasure Artist, exhibits her ink drawings and oil paintings at the Sonoma Valley Regional Library during the month of March. Perry is well known for her exquisite drawings of Sonoma buildings, both historical and current. She is the author of “Drawing Sonoma, Second Edition.”

Sonoma is known for its wild and woolly history. While the heroes and legends who lived splendidly in fine homes are all gone, their abodes remain to remind us of the colorful stories rife around the formation of the town. Drawing a structure involves a thought process of who lived there, and Barbara has felt the ghosts of bygone eras at those times. She has also met interesting people along the way who regaled her with fascinating stories of Sonoma’s past.

Barbara has been on the Board of the Sonoma League for Historical Preservation for many years. She is drawn to environmental issues in her private life and in her subject matter, and often includes birds in her paintings. She has a masterful touch in depicting the famous glowing atmosphere of the Sonoma hills. 

Barbara believes art should be accessible to everyone, and both the paintings and the ink illustrations in the exhibition are affordable.

The art is on display during regular library hours, Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 755 West Napa Street.

Jackie Lee is a writer and artist living in Sonoma. Her focus is to showcase individual events and artists as well as those represented by established galleries. [email protected].