Art at the Grange silent auction

Thanks to all the Art on the Ridge artists who donated art pieces for the Bennett Valley Grange silent auction fundraiser!

Karen Sommer, painting and monotype print

Sherry Parker, collage art

A.J. Trombetta, glass jewelry

Chuck Quibell, wood turnings

Kate E. Black, fused glass

photos of us

Art on the Ridge members, Karen Sommer and Sherry Parker.

A.J. Trombetta and her husband at the BV Grange.

Jewelry at the Bennett Valley Grange fundraiser

Thanks to those who donated handcrafted jewelry for the Bennett Valley Grange silent auction!




Cane glass jewelry by Marjorie Alette (donated by Susan Dougherty).








Barnyard, lampworked glass bead, necklace
by A.J. Trombetta

How I Got Started in Photography

My father's cameras sparked my interest in photography. My first camera was a Twin-lense Reflex that shot 120 film (that's the stuff that had two and a quarter size negatives). As a teen in 1966, I couldn't afford to buy a new Nikon camera kit, so I bought the body of a new Nikon here in Santa Rosa. I remember that I drove down to San Francisco with my then girlfriend to buy used Nikon lenses. I used that camera for years! I shot photos of my wife, our first house and my two children with that camera.

I later began painting with chalk pastels. I started using the computer to do some work refining tonal value and color with my painting in mind. I then realized that I could work directly on new and old photos. I enjoy refining and tweeking my photos with Painter to create stylized works.

Bennett Ridge

Bennett Valley Grange BBQ and Auction Fundraiser

What a great time we had at the Bennett Valley Grange fundraiser!

The Art on the Ridge auction and the Bennett Valley Grape Growers wine auction raised money for the fire department and emergency preparedness in the Bennett Valley area.

The band rocked the crowd, and the BBQ had lots of great food for everyone!




Thanks to everyone involved!

Artist - Mark Trombetta, Digital Prints

As a photographer, I appreciate the clarity of photographs as records of particular moments in time; as a visual artist, certain aspects of the captured moments become the focal point of my attention. I work from my own original photographs through a digital printing process seeking to bring forward those aspects which seem to be visually, emotionally, and artistically relevant to each image, scene, or abstraction.

I've lived in the hills above Sonoma County for 30 years, on what was once a small dairy farm. I am surrounded by the beauty of the land as well as a sense of passage of time.

Bennett Valley Grange BBQ and art display

Join us on Sunday, June 6th, 2010 for the Bennett Valley Grange BBQ and fundraiser, Connecting the Community! Come enjoy the food, music, art and wine! This year's event includes music by the Barrel House Band, a chicken BBQ, Art on the Ridge artists' display and auction, and a wine auction.



Tickets are available at the door, and are also on sale at Bennett Valley Exchange Bank, Barleycorns and Pizzeria Grillo. Proceeds benefit the Bennett Valley Emergency Preparedness Program and the Grange. Proceeds will help purchase build an emergency communications structure at the Bennett Valley Fire Station and to purchase emergency supplies for the Grange. Tickets are $12.50 for adults and $5.00 for children. The Grange is located at 4145 Grange Rd. in Bennett Valley.


Bennett Valley Grange is the oldest operating Grange in the Nation. In the 1900s, a grange was a way for farming communities to unite. The Bennett Valley Grange, holds an annual picnic the first Sunday in June to commemorate its founding in 1873.