Artist David Korty

I got to know John Korty when I was doing research for the book Cinema by the Bay, published by George Lucas Books, an imprint of JAK Films.  John's Northern California studio was the inspiration for Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas to set up shop in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Other famous filmmakers have also been influenced by John including David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club) and Henry Selick (Coraline, James and the Giant Peach), among others. 

Talent runs deep in the Korty family, including John's son David who I just discovered.  His work is available from the London gallery Sadie Coles and at the Michael Kohn gallery in Los Angeles.  A good reason to visit both places!

Napa, California = Great Food!

Happily, a friend and former business associate at Lucasfilm Ltd.  is now in the wine business at Silver Oak Cellars so I'm going up for lunch soon.  I thought I might also visit one of my favorite mail order food companies - Katz and Company - who are headquartered in Napa.  Kathleen Scanlon also recommends Round Pond Estates in Rutherford for great olive oil (among other goodies).  There are few places on earth like Northern California for great good and drink!  It is truly a blessing to live here (despite the earthquakes - since I just felt the one we had 2 hours ago).

Star Wars' Greek Connection

My favorite British/Greek, met during my recent vacation, is Sofka Zinovieff - the granddaughter of Robert Herber Percy, who was the lover of Lord Berners who built the famous Faringdon Folly in England in 1935.  Sofka is a writer/artist married to Vassillis Papadimitriou, media consultant to Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, now living outside of Athens. 

So, what's the Star Wars connection?

Bob Canning, one of the contributing authors on the book George Lucas's Blockbusting: A Decade-by-Decade Survey of Timeless Movies Including Untold Secrets of Their Financial and Cultural Success, is also a notable playwright.  His play Faringdon Follies is about Sofka's grandfather and Lord Berners and is being performed July 11, 2010 in Faringdon, UK during its arts festival.  Jeremy Bulloch, the man behind the mask of Boba Fett in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi will read the parts of three characters in the play.

During my life at Lucasfilm, I was always fond of the character of Boba Fett starting years ago when Joe Johnston modeled the original costume at our San Anselmo office.  It seemed like Boba was doomed when he fell into the Sarlacc pit in ROJ but we brought him back to life in the spin off fiction where, I believe, he continues to live a long, healthy life.

It's nice to know that one of my favorite Star Wars characters is now related through Bob Canning's play to one of my favorite new real life characters!

Interesting New Artist

I went to the Marin Arts Festival today.  My favorite artist at the event was a Persian named Omid Zebarjadi.  More info on him and his art can be found here  

Anna Kouda - One of Greece's Most Delightful Greeks

The best places to travel are where you can both see interesting new things and meet wonderful new people.  The island of Paros, Greece provides both.  One of the Cyclades Islands, it is fairly easy to get too but slightly off the beaten track for the hordes of tourists who descend on Greece in the summertime - which makes it a good destination for a low key and relaxed holiday.  The sleepy fishing village of Aliki is where I settled in for much of the past month with my San Francisco engineer friend Kathleen Price - renting an apartment from the very wonderful Anna Kouda, owner and manager of Ikia Studios.  Between hiking and swimming, Kathleen worked on her novel and I painted.  Although we did not run into Tom Hanks (he and his wife own a place on Anti Paros, a nearby smaller island), he and other celebrities do make regular appearances in Aliki where the friendly local Greek farmers and fishermen leave them alone.  The beaches nearby are heavenly, the locally grown food and wine fabulous and the charming Anna a breath of fresh air.

For some of my watercolor sketches from Greece click here