Sonoma County is located approximately one
hour North of San Francisco, in the heart of California’s
premier wine country, just West of the better-known Napa Valley.
The State Bear Flag of California has it’s origins in Sonoma,
dating to 1846 when independence was declared by elements of the
local population who overran the Sonoma Plaza and barracks established
by Mexican General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo.
Agriculture and the hospitality industry dominate Sonoma County.
More than 150 wineries and many fine restaurants thrive in the
area. The County is rich in history and scenery, containing the
former homes of Jack London and General Vallejo, now preserved
in a State Parks by the same name. Magnificent vistas exist within
the county. Sprawling vineyards, vast livestock pastures, Redwood
forests and beautiful coastline are among the sites one can behold.
The Series 1 Sonoma Panoramas displayed here were created by photographer
Stephen Brown to capture the sense of grandeur to be found in
the rolling hills and vast flatlands of lower Sonoma County. Using
a panoramic format designed to mimic the visual perception of
the human eye, Brown photographed with high gamut negative film
to preserve the quality of light unique to coastal areas of earth
situated near 40 degrees North latitude. The color of the sky
and the soft quality of light found on certain days in Sonoma
is nearly identical to that found in much of the Mediterranean,
especially those areas known for excellent wines, food and art.
The Series 1 Sonoma Panoramas were created with the hospitality
industry in mind. Printed on archival watercolor papers using
the Giclee process, the photographs are subtle, textured impressions
of the Sonoma Valley, and are well suited for high traffic, high
ambient light display in hotels, restaurants and fine homes. The
pigmented ink-sets and archival watercolor paper media used to
produce these fine art images have been tested by independent
labs for archival permanence of approximately 200 years under
display conditions.
Additional work is underway to create the next series of Sonoma
Panorama images and they will be added as they become available.
Sonoma-002
