Merry Christmas!

From my house to yours... may your Christmas be merry and bright! 

And the winner is....

Commenter #9:  Dana!

You've won Richard Sheppard's gorgeous book!

Email me with your address, Dana, and it'll get sent right out to you!

You'll love it!

(Thanks again, Richard, for allowing me to share your beautiful work!)

Book Give-away!

I first met Richard Sheppard when I ventured out to my first urban sketchers' meet-up experience a few years ago. Richard is a local artist and urban sketcher whose work I'd seen in my local newspaper, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, and in Danny Gregory's book "An Illustrated Journey."  Richard's talent and his unique way with color captivated me right away, and I've enjoyed getting to know him and his art as we've continued to sketch together with the North Bay Urban Sketchers.

I'm happy to announce that Richard has just produced a beautiful book called "Impressions of Wine Country," and he's given me a signed copy to give away to a reader here!  So, leave a comment below between now and midnight on Sunday, December 20 if you want a chance to win it .  On Dec. 21 I'll use a random number generator to pick the winner and the book will be on its way to you in time for you to enjoy it somewhere around Christmas.  (No promises that you'll get it in time for Dec. 25.  Just sayin'.)

The book isn't just a wonderful collection of Richard's sketches.  (Which it is, of course.  Just studying the way he uses color makes this book worthwhile.)  But also, it's a great season-by-season tour through the wine country of Sonoma County.  There are bits about the history of California wine-making, information about grape growing and varietals, stories from various local vineyards.  So it's a book to read and savor -- with a glass of wine, perhaps.

 For us sketchers, there's even a bit of information about Richard's tools, paint choices and palette, and how to make a sketchbook like his.

It's a gorgeous book, whether you're an artist, wine lover, or California traveler.  And if you don't win this copy, you can order the book from Amazon.com.

You can also see more of Richard's gorgeous work at his website, The Artist on the Road.