Los Altos life

Inspired by the First Friday Art Walks in Palo Alto, I took an art walk of my own earlier this week (more precisely, an art meander). Downtown Los Altos rolls up the sidewalks at 6 p.m., so it was a welcome change to see Main Street pop to life on a Tuesday morning. Restaurants yawned and stretched, and the bells on shop doors were getting their first jingles of the day.

Strollers stood sentry outside the Art-n-Fun center at 167 Main, where fliers touted classes in sand painting, printmaking, the art of the Asian paper fan, and other arts. I contemplated taking time off work to perfect the pinch pot.

Two doors down, a sign promised the arrival of Vino 100. Ooh, if your pinch pot bombs, you can drown your sorrows here.

There were gracious photos of Ireland's castles and churches in Gallery 9, taken by Roy Harrington. There was an equally gracious Scottish terrier sitting outside Peet's.

Over at Viewpoints Gallery on State Street, I was very taken with the watercolors of Cupertino artist Floy Zittin. She had painted proud birds in front of backgrounds that managed to be murky and inviting at the same time. Like the dreams of a child who wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up. Rarely have I seen such alluring texture in watercolors.

I visited for a spell with this cheerful little guy: a rooster painted on the wall on First Street at Main. He looks like a bird with a purpose. Perhaps he was headed to Viewpoints Gallery to make some new friends.

Pictured at top: "Quail in Brambles," a watercolor painting by Floy Zittin