* while recently in San Francisco working with Brit + Co and E & J Gallo, I visited Santa Rosa the adopted hometown of the person who influenced me most as a child to become an artist Charles Schulz - His museum features original drawings, sculptures and even his modest home studio moved to the museum as it was when he passed in 2000 - I've always respected Schulz for creating personal, unique, uncompromising work that was also extremely commercially successful - While in San Francisco I stumbled across City Lights Books a haven for poets and free thinkers since the 1950's - the spontaneity and stream-of-conscious expression of Beat poetry and mid-century jazz have also been a huge influence in my creative process and have much in common with the simple lyrical lines of Schulz - Peanuts was the expression and vision of an individual artist who with his midwestern work ethic drew every panel himself and by focusing on one day at a time created an empire over the decades that will never be forgotten //
1. ) Snoopy wall sculpture - Schulz Museum 2. ) Schulz’s home studio - Schulz Museum 3. ) hockey jersey from the arena Schulz’s first wife created - Schulz Museum 4. ) 1968 first edition Peanuts book from my childhood collection 5.) original drawing of a classic - Schulz Museum 6. ) sidewalk outside of City Lights Books 7 – 8.) signage at City Lights Books 9. ) tile floor inside City Lights Books * photos : Eric Kass
