Sebastopol

Sebastopol, a lively spot for sculpture for a long time, offers sightseers both serious and humorous artwork.

The products of the city's annual "Sculpture Jams," when artists and volunteers put together new works in a weekend, can be seen around town.

The Sebastopol Downtown Plaza, at Petaluma Avenue and McKinley Street, is the site of three pieces created by Sculpture Jam artists: "The Split Rock" by Gordon Pundt, the Peace Sculpture by Warren Arnold and James Stadig, and "The Door" by Tom Montan and Ron Rogers.

("The Door," a doorway planted in the ground, was controversial when first unveiled at its former site near the firehouse, and nicknamed "The Doorway to Hell," by critics who thought the piece had devilish connotations.)

Additional Sculpture Jam pieces are "Woman in a Boat" by Arnold, Stadig and Marta Petzel, across the street from the plaza, and "Graceful S," by Stadig, in front of the police station on Laguna Way.

And look for the apple-themed series of sculptures along Highway 12, with pieces in front of City Hall and the Sebastopol Center for the Arts.

For a whimsical alternative, don't overlook the right turn off Highway 12 (which is also called Bodega Avenue, west of Main Street) on Florence Avenue.

Large, colorful figures made of castoff junk by beloved local artist Patrick Amiot grace front yards for several blocks, all the way up to Healdsburg Avenue. Look for Batman, a baseball pitcher and catcher, a surfer, two sportsmen playing cards in front of a tiny RV, a wolf in a hot rod, and more.

And more ...

This, of course, is just a sample. More outdoor sculpture is showing up all over Sonoma County, with Cotati's La Plaza Park scheduled to get four more during the summer.

And if you want to see more work by Hudson and others, don't overlook the di Rosa Preserve, 5200 Sonoma Highway, Napa, with both indoor and outdoor displays. For tour information: www.dirosaart.org, 226-5991.

The di Rosa collection includes work by another famous Sonoma County artist, Mark di Suvero, now based in New York, who once lived in Petaluma and still has a studio there. In March, di Suvero was awarded the 2010 National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama.

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at 521-5243 or dan.taylor@ .pressdemocrat.com. See his ARTS blog at http://arts.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.