Dreaming in color

WineFest artist Dee Andreini’s roots grow deep in Sonoma County wine country.

Back in 1906, her Italian immigrant grandparents arrived in San Francisco, settling north of Santa Rosa, where they grew pears, plums, and, most especially, grapes.

“They made wine for themselves and their own cheese — they did everything from scratch,” Andreini says. But to support their family of nine, they sold most of their harvest to local wineries.

As a youngster, Andreini spent lots of time on her grandparents’ ranch, even entire summers. “It was part of our family,” she says simply, noting that those 70 acres are still owned by a cousin.

Andreini and her husband lived for a while in San Jose, but the draw of Sonoma County pulled them back 30 years ago.

“People come here not only to taste the wine but to experience the beauty of the county,” she says. “There are a lot of redwood and fir trees, apple and oak trees, the Russian River and rolling hills.” And her beloved home is ideally located, she says, “halfway between the wineries and the ocean.” Visitors often attend her open studio events there, watching her bring Sonoma County landscapes to life.

Shown at California galleries plus numerous wineries, her oil and acrylic artworks of vineyards, forests, and waterfalls have been described as dreamscapes with “a blurring of edges to give the paintings an ethereal, dreamlike quality, inviting the viewer into the experience.”

It was through an area tasting room’s gallery that Andreini’s life’s work came to the attention of a WineFest connection. Soon the artist was offering her acrylic painting Mystic Harvest (30”x40”) as a featured item for this year’s Fine Wine Dinner live auction.

If you want to bring this painting home, raise that paddle high —there’s no doubt that many bidders will compete for this sunset vineyard landscape.