Artist Woody Biggs, or Monsieur Papier (as he is referred to by his French colleagues), has been collecting ephemera for decades to be used to create prints and art that can be incorporated into most any interior space. His work includes vintage menus, collages with French ephemera, Dessin prints and his latest body of work that is all about the birds!

Woody’s journey in life began in a small town in Tennessee. As much as he loved country life, Woody was destined to expand his horizons so he eventually moved to Nashville during his college years to study art history at Vanderbilt University. After graduating, Woody jumped into the print business in San Francisco and later landed a dream job at Chez Panisse. As someone very well-versed in many topics and a love for connecting with people, Woody spent 10 years engaging guests and making their culinary experience even more epic.

Woody later went on to purchase a home in Brion, France with his partner Stephen Shubel, spending half of the year in France and the other half in California. While in France, Woody scoured the vide greniers and French flea markets in his surrounding area and started collecting vintage ephemera. These vintage pieces were expected to have only a short term use, but Woody uses his creativity to give them new life as unique pieces of art.

I discovered Woody and his company, Paris Prints, at a store in Berkely called Maison d’Etre and fell in love with the vintage menus—they were perfectly framed in acid-free paper and ready to pop into a standard black museum frame. Voila! Instant art for the dining room. I later contacted Paris Prints, met Woody and we have carried his work at Chateau Sonoma ever since. He recently moved to Sonoma and we are so happy to carry his work in the store. More recently he has been joining us on Saturday afternoons in our new location on the Sonoma Square and we just adore having him!

We are so happy to have Woody as a neighbor and longtime friend. We are looking forward to sharing with you his latest bird creations that he will be showcasing this December 5th from 3:30-7:30 at Chateau Sonoma on the Square, 453 1st Street W. This event is in partnership with the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art Artwalk and we look forward to seeing you there!

ABIENTÔT,
SARAH