![Carlton creates vivid abstract paintings and whimsical mixed media pieces from her Sutter Creek home studio. (Photo by Marie-Elena Schembri)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/artexposed-carlton-2_lead.png?1697762104)
Art Exposed: Tracy ‘Indi’ Carlton
Meet the Amador County artist who traded in a 21-year nonprofit career to become a creative expression coach
Tracy Carlton took an unconventional path to her art career, launching a as a creative expression coach and teacher last year following a 21-year career at First 5 Amador, the Amador County branch of the statewide nonprofit commission dedicated to improving early childhood development.
![A Pyro Spectaculars fireworks show lights up the sky over downtown Sacramento. (Photo courtesy of Pyro Spectaculars)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/sacto_nye.png?1696372144)
A Fire in the Sky
Family business spotlight: From Macy’s Fourth of July to the Space Needle, Pyro Spectaculars produces more than 400 fireworks shows a year
The show producer opens his laptop, and with a touch of the keyboard the magic begins. Music swells, and a spectacular vision of multicolor sparkling flowers explodes in the night sky, along with golden starbursts and shiny cascading waterfalls.
![When driving was put on hold at Burning Man due to muddy conditions, many attendees explored the outdoor art exhibits on foot. (Photos by Ed Fletcher)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/mudwalk_ef_bm2023.png?1694707245)
Mud, Music and the Man
A Sacramento Burner shares thoughts on the community spirit of this year’s rainy Burning Man
While reporters and commentators struggled to understand why
73,000 would choose to isolate — and unintentionally strand —
themselves in the desert, Burners lived out the experiment Black
Rock City was built for.
![](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/comstocks_talks_eric_howard.jpg?1692723057)
Bracing for the AI Revolution with Eric Howard
PODCAST EPISODE: Fathom co-founder Eric Howard discusses generative AI tools, artistic value and how creatives can adapt to a changing industry.
![Sacramento artist Ruben Briseno Reveles incorporates AI in the process behind his mixed-media work. (Photos by Fred Greaves)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0823_feat_ai.png?1693241451)
Bracing for the AI Revolution
How Capital Region creatives are adapting to generative AI
If you could create an image of anything in the world, what would it be? The house you lived in when you were six? A design for a new wine label? An oil painting of your dog dressed as Napoleon? Generative artificial intelligence has made this a possibility.
![Sacramento’s Teatro Espejo has been showcasing Latinx talent for over 40 years. (Photo by Fran Garcia, courtesy of Teatro Espejo)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/teatro_espejo_002.png?1692908117)
Fresh Perspectives at Sacramento’s Oldest Latinx Theater
How Teatro Espejo launches careers and enriches the community
If you pass the intersection where Sacramento’s Natural Foods Co-Op faces the food bank and walk along the light rail tracks, you’ll discover the city’s oldest Latinx and Chicano theater, Teatro Espejo.
![British artist Mahalia performs Sunday afternoon before a sun-kissed crowd on the Bless Stage at the Sol Blume music festival at Discovery Park. (Photos by Steve Martarano)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/3-august_20_2023sol_blume_2023_sm_1.png?1692816062)
Sacramento’s Sol Blume Music Fest Is Back in the Sun
A rescheduled Sol Blume sets new attendance record
After torrential rains hit the Capital Region early in 2023, flooding out Discovery Park, organizers of the upcoming Sol Blume festival planned there for April 29-30 had some decisions to make.
![After an opera career that brought her to venues around Europe and the United States, Carrie Hennessey now focuses her energies on the arts scene of the Capital Region. (Photo by Symber Canepari Day, courtesy of Carrie Hennessey)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0823_blog_artexposed.png?1692727247)
Art Exposed: Carrie Hennessey
The vocalist, instructor and writer emphasizes positive energy and risk-taking, whether onstage or coaching others
Carrie Hennessey has been known to belt out a tune while walking her dogs outside of her South Natomas home, but the neighbors in this otherwise quiet neighborhood don’t seem to mind. She picked up the moniker “Opera Mom” while her two children (now in their 20s) were in elementary school, but there is a lot more to her.
![Kitty O’Neal has been anchoring news at KFBK for an astounding 37 years. (Photo by Terence Duffy)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/_mg_5697.png?1692124130)
Kitty O’Neal: A Rock Star on Radio and in Her Off Hours
Catching up with the broadcast legend and community gem
Learning of this interview with local media legend Kitty O’Neal, who has been anchoring news at KFBK for an astounding 37 years, a fan of hers gushes, “Wow! I watch her on the radio all the time!”
![Pila Kava sells its kava-based beverage in a variety of flavors, featuring teas from Sacramento’s Classy Hippie Tea Co. (Photos by Debbie Cunningham)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/dsc_8240_f.png?1691694589)
The Kava Capital
Sacramento has a thriving kava scene. Will newcomer Pila Kava offer something new?
The first sip of Pila Kava hits like a low dose of novocaine, numbness spreading across the surface of the tongue. This soon fades into a background hum as the flavors bloom. The first note is the earth and spice of the kava itself — the root of a pepper variety native to the South Pacific.