On the Cover: Function with Flair
These local designers make art that's user-friendly
What more can your storage cabinets do for you? How can your placemats become conversation pieces? What if sitting down to read a magazine felt a little bit like being at the carnival?
A Year in Design
Checking in with last year’s featured designers
Last year we highlighted Sacramento’s newest design superstars, just in time for the holidays (“Fresh Perspective,” by Kibkabe Araya, December 2013). Here’s a look at what they’ve been up to over the past year.
Wine Tunes
Family-owned and operated Harmony Wynelands in Lodi is musically motivated
The wine tasting room at Harmony Wynelands in Lodi was built with a far different purpose. Bob Hartzell, an aficionado of old-fashioned theater pipe organs and former president of the California Winegrape Growers Association, built the hall to house his pride and joy – a 1921 organ that was once installed in the Castro Theatre in San Francisco. The room’s acoustics are specially designed to show off the organ’s commanding sound.
Haunting Dollars
Placerville's Gold Rush Tours mix the eerie with the authentic
Linda Bottjer is not a psychic or paranormal expert. But through her research online and at the local historical society, she has become intimately familiar with the ghosts of Placerville. They are a mischievous lot, known for rearranging furniture and shattering wine glasses.
The Mind’s Eye
Blind photographer Pete Eckert views the world a bit differently
Pete Eckert envisioned himself as an architect, but a degenerative eye disease derailed his plan. He instead pursued his MBA and photography and now sells his art worldwide.
Art Elevated
Local muralists seek to set precedent for public art
Few of the thousands of shoppers at Sacramento’s Sunday farmers market at 8th and W streets ever look up at the gray concrete ceiling looming above them. But by next spring, it may be tough to look at anything else.
Modernist Marvels
On the Cover: Local buildings take an old-school approach to present-day challenges
Here we feature some of Sacramento’s most innovative, modernist buildings and the architectural solutions employed to achieve enduring and functional spaces.
Strings that Sing
Waylin Carpenter crafts guitars that are built to last
Waylin Carpenter has been building custom, classical guitars in his home workshop in Sacramento since 2000. Carpenter makes 5-, 6- and 7-string guitars, and each can take 150 to 200 hours to complete. He is about to finish his 20th guitar.
Your Check is in the Mail
5 steps to turning art into sustainable income
Whether you are a starving or established artist, we could all use a little mailbox money. Here’s how to get started:
Insight into Our Style
Our art director on the redesign process
Our art director, Zuza Hicks, has spent the last four months devoted to creating an updated look and feel for Comstock’s that is fresh and modern while staying true to our publication’s roots. Here’s how she did it.