Idea Lounge in March!
Charles Becker and Andrew Strautman
Wednesday, March 26, 7-8 PM (Doors open at 6:30)
$15/members; $20 non-members
What is the Idea Lounge?
The Idea Lounge pairs two speakers who may have never met. One speaker is from the arts and the other is not. For twenty minutes each, the speakers present an aspect of their lives which may include how they chose their professions, how people or circumstances inspired them, or decisions they made that changed their lives. The audience has equal time to uncover the commonalities between two seemingly disparate topics and career paths.
Charles Becker: Driven With Passion:
Charles Becker has been painting professionally for more than 50 years. When he was 20 years old, he was accepted as a student by the Italian master Roberto Lupetti. Charles eventually found a way to make a living with his passion. His work has been presented in museums in over 30 countries and has graced the covers of many magazines. One magazine stated, “By all accounts, Becker is among the most successful painters…on the planet.” He continues to fulfill his passion for painting and teaching art in Sonoma County.
Andrew Strautman: From Chef to Landscaper:
My Journey to Sonoma Outdoor Escapes
Andrew Strautman is the owner of Sonoma Outdoor Escapes. He was born into a military family in Virginia Beach and grew up moving across the country. After attending the Culinary Institute of America in New York, he worked as a chef in restaurants from New York to Virginia to California, where he also developed a deep passion for gardening and landscaping. When the pandemic forced his restaurant to close, he took the opportunity to reinvent himself, working for Rock & Rose Landscapes in San Francisco and furthering his education at City College in San Francisco. Inspired by those experiences, he founded Sonoma Outdoor Escapes, a company dedicated to creating beautiful edible and native landscapes. Now, five years later, the company continues to grow, combining sustainability with creative design and bringing the beauty of nature into clients’ lives.