The Don Siemens Collection

The Don Siemens Collection represents a small portion of the over thousands of images that Petaluman, Don Siemens, has captured.  Originally from Lafayette, California, where the artist Harry Curieux Adamson (1916-2012) impressed upon him the incredible beauty of nature, Don began capturing his own nature images with his “Brownie” Instamatic camera.  From Mexico to Canada to New York, Don photographed everything that caught his eye.  After settling in Petaluma in 1971, Don had the pleasure of meeting Helen Putnam who facilitated Don accessing the towers on the top of the Golden Gate Bridge where he photographed the sites for thirteen years.  His travels around the backroads of Petaluma and Sonoma introduced him to the farmers and ranchers with whom he developed lasting friendships including Silvio Piccinotti and his team of horses and wagons, the Cardoza family, and many others who were lucky enough to get to know Don and his trusty camera. The thousands of images Don has captured over the years represent days gone by in rural Sonoma County and express an appreciation for the beauty that surrounds our wonderful city.