1,200-square-foot rainbow flag street painting lands in Santa Rosa

Visitors to Santa Rosa's Brew Coffee and Beer House are used to seeing rainbow flags decorating the business at 555 Healdsburg Ave., but when the latest addition to their collection was added Thursday, it was so eye-catching people driving by felt the need to stop their cars and get out to take a look.

Courtesy of artist Judy Kennedy, and with approval from the city, a massive, 1,200-square-foot rainbow flag now graces a triangle of public roadway right outside of Brew's front door.

“Brew is known to be an LGBTQ- friendly place,” Kennedy said. “It has a great atmosphere. So it was the obvious place. ... It's going to be a real positive marker for Santa Rosa.

“When the city approves (a project like this) from day one, you know you're in a place that is welcoming diversity, and to me that's really cool.”

In all, it took Kennedy and nine volunteers from 8 a.m. until just after noon to paint the space on Thursday, with passers-by stopping for selfies at regular intervals.

The undertaking, paid for by donations collected by Brew patrons, follows on the heels of Kennedy's recent transformation of a Santa Rosa Avenue crosswalk into another work of art - that one blanketed in white and yellow Shasta daisies and California poppies.

(Video by AJ Reilly of OhReilly Productions)

When Kennedy approached Brew's owner Alisse Cottle about the idea about a year ago, she was immediately on board with the idea.

“I think Sonoma County coming together to show diversity and symbolism through art is really amazing,” Cottle said. “I feel like it's really going to transform our corner even more. It just really feels like it was meant to be in front of Brew.”

A block party outside of Brew to celebrate the rainbow triangle's arrival is scheduled from noon to 8 p.m. Sunday.

You can reach Staff Writer Christi Warren at 707-521-5205 or christi.warren@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @SeaWarren.