Starting Nov. 16, guests of the Wildling Museum of Art and Nature can expect to find a new photography exhibition inside the museum’s Valley Oak Gallery. The showcase, titled Santa Barbara County and Beyond, features more than 20 landscapes from Santa Ynez-based photographer George Rose. Although the exhibit’s coverage area ranges from all over California, many of the landscapes depict the rolling hills of the Santa Ynez Valley and other parts of the county. Some of these photographs are also included in Rose’s new book, Wine Country: Santa Barbara County, which the author will be signing copies of during the exhibit’s opening reception.
A career photographer for more than four decades, Rose has experience as both a photojournalist and commercial photographer, with jobs ranging from staff photographer at the Los Angeles Times to freelancer for the NFL. Rose even co-owned and co-published his own newspaper, The Mendocino Grapevine, before shifting over to the wine industry. For the last 25 years, Rose has worked as a communications director for four different wine companies, capturing stunning landscapes of various vineyards and wineries along the way. In 2018, Pink Lady crowned Rose the Errazuriz Wine Photographer of the Year.
Rose took some time to connect with the Sun about his eclectic career, his latest photography book, and the upcoming exhibition at the Wildling.
Sun: As you’ve lived and worked in various parts of California, what attracted you to the Central Coast? And how does living in Santa Ynez compare to previous areas you’ve resided in?
Rose: My wife was born and raised in Santa Barbara, and I fell in love with the region during the many times we visited her family over the years. I love the weather on the South Central Coast. There is a wonderful Western feeling to living in the Santa Ynez Valley.
Sun: Tell me about your experience publishing your own weekly paper in the 1980s, all while maintaining your photography career. And how did this period lead you to start working in the wine industry?
Rose: I purchased a weekly newspaper in Mendocino County back in 1983. It was called The Mendocino Grapevine. It was the county weekly. I used the paper to address a number of rural county issues, but marijuana was always in the news. We also featured a different winery each week. It was while working in Mendocino County as a publisher that I met the Fetzer family. In 1990, they hired me to be the public relations director for Fetzer Vineyards. All the while I was still freelancing—working for the NFL—but used my photography skills to help promote the winery and the county.
Sun: How did the transition from covering the Northern California wine scene to Santa Barbara County wine country occur?
Rose: I was with Fetzer until 1998, then moved to Sonoma County to take the PR director position with Clos du Bois/Allied Domecq Wines USA. By 2002, the company was up for sale, so I jumped ship and became the vice president of communications at Santa Rosa-based Kendall-Jackson. During this time period, my photography was used in all sorts of promotional materials—calendars, sales promotions. It was at Kendall-Jackson that I became acquainted with Santa Barbara County wines.
Sun: Now 17 years later, you’ve compiled a collection of your photographs into Wine Country: Santa Barbara County. How does your new book correlate with your upcoming exhibition at the Wildling Museum of Art and Nature?
Rose: Many of the images from my book will be featured in the exhibit. Some of them include my “seasonal changes” series along Armour Ranch Road in Santa Ynez. I’ve also included several images of the Carrizo Plain National Monument and a cool aerial of the Morro Bay estuary.
Sun: What brought you to choose the Wildling Museum as a venue to exhibit your landscapes?
Rose: A couple of years ago, I joined the board of directors at the Wildling Museum of Art and Nature. I embrace the museum’s mission of using art to promote and protect our natural environment.
Sun: What’s next? Are there any upcoming projects we can expect from you in the near future?
Rose: Now that I’m retired from the wine business, I have more time to visit and photograph America’s National Parks and Monuments. I am currently in Grand Canyon National Park, following a week in Zion National Park. I have a mission and a camera in hand!
Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood has a phone in hand, but uses it as a camera occasionally. Reach him at cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Nov 14-21, 2019.