Katy Stone's Little Universe (Burst Boom Bloom)

Anyone who’s ever set foot in Spoonbar has surely been struck by the luminous explosion of yellow on rough concrete walls. From afar, these bursts of color almost look like lichen, rounding the corner from bar to dining room. Take several steps forward and they look more like dandelions or daisies dancing in the wind. But up close, that’s when the details snap into focus. The delicate brush strokes of acrylic paint on archival film. The pins that suspend each individual piece in air. The way a summer breeze breathes movement and life into it all. This is Katy Stone’s aptly named “Little Universe (Burst Boom Bloom).”

Upon first hearing about the piece, before it exploded on our walls, my first instinct was to film the installation for this blog. But then little realities set in. Like the fact that curator Svea Lin Soll’s installation would take eight hours. So rather than knock you out with somniferous footage of an extremely tedious process, we captured it in time-lapse photography. Local snapshooter Ace, Craig Clement, took some 4000 photographs of the installation and compressed it down to an electrifying 56 seconds. And with some luck, we persuaded indie mega-star ??????, to license his song “??????” for this clip.

We love the results. We hope you do too.

A Healdsburg Institution

When I first moved to Healdsburg a handful of years ago, there were two coffee shops in town. One always had a line out the door while the other, well, let’s just say it would’ve made a very nice echo chamber. It looked like a scene pulled from the McCarthy Era, and I remember thinking, how bizarre! At the time, I didn’t drink coffee and couldn’t understand why anyone would wait 20 minutes when there was absolutely no line just a few doors down.  

The coffee, obviously had much to do with it. Flying Goat Coffee, or “the Goat” for short, is one of the country’s premier roasters, offering microlot coffee from around the world. Microlots that co-founder, Phil Anacker, personally visits each year. But the other draw is the scene. Locals don’t mind waiting in line because this is, arguably, the town’s epicenter slash meet-up spot. (In fact, if I had a nickle for every time someone said “let’s meet at the Goat,” I might be able to buy the place.) And so naturally, while the Goat has become the place to caffeinate, that other coffee shop has become something entirely different. Like the place to buy amazing frozen yogurt.

Of course, not all of our guests will want to deal with the social swirl of the Goat in the morning. Which is why we’ve partnered up with them to offer French Press single origin coffee… delivered right to your door. You get that and house-made pastries for only $6 per person. And down at our Receptobar, we offer Flying Goat espresso drinks. Though, we still suggest you check out the Goat for yourself.

Artist Ray Degischer. (Feeling it.)

Especially on the nights when they have art openings. Like this Friday, August 6th. (8-10pm).  Local artist, Ray Degischer of Country Industrial, will be exhibiting new pieces. Ray rummages scrap yards and breathes new life into found objects – transforming old pipes into vases, machine parts into chandeliers. He was recently spotlighted in California Home & Design for his unique metal works. BUT… that’s not what he’s showing at the Goat. He’s also a talented painter, and will be exhibiting his stuff for the first time. As you can tell from this pic, he’s a pretty quirky guy. And we’re really excited to check out his new works.

Oh, and if you need just one more reason to be there, rumor has it that Ray will be providing a keg of PBR “for the PEOPLE.” The people being me and you and whomever shows up on Friday night.

Katy Stone's "Little Universe (Burst Boom Bloom)"

As you can surely imagine, a construction project like h2h doesn’t happen overnight.  It’s takes years and years of prep and planning.  And since it was important to us to reach LEED Gold certification, there were that many more hurdles to hop and hoops to jump through in our build-out.  It’s been a challenge, yes, but a wonderfully exciting one.  And now, with the nuts and bolts, halls and walls in place, it’s time for the fun part… the Art.

Of course, in keeping with h2h’s eco-conscious spirit, we were looking for a very specific aesthetic.  And to help us out, we tapped the absurdly talented folks at Swarm Gallery in Oakland.  Swarm isn’t just a gallery space, it’s more like a clever cultural experiment.  Researching new ideas pertaining to “green art” – artworks that embrace the natural environment – Swarm Gallery commissioned a series of works with regard to our Healdsburg surroundings, with an interest on high aesthetic standards, educating guests of the area’s native plants, and provoking curiosity in our “green” efforts.

Today, we’re installing Katy Stone’s “Little Universe (Burst Boom Bloom)” in Spoonbar.  Though the piece on the left isn’t the one you’ll see at h2hotel, it gives you a sense of her unique aesthetic.  The former Marin County resident, works with acrylic paint on archival plastic film, and in the case of “Burst Boom Bloom,” the installation will almost look like yellow bursts of lichen that wrap around Spoonbar’s concrete wall into our lobby.  Blooming with life and color, the piece is designed to reflect the abundance of nature in the area.  Local photographer, Craig Clement, will be capturing today’s installation in time-lapse photography, and we’ll post it here as soon as that’s processed.  Exciting stuff!