If you’ve ever had a yen to take an easel outdoors and paint but don’t know where to begin, Gretchen Kimball has a solution for you.

In Mexico the word to describe someone who lives life with zest is “chispa” — Spanish for spark. On Friday evening Oaxacan-American singer Lila Downs brought her chispa to a packed Lincoln Theater at the Veterans Home of California in Yountville.

“Take a Chance on Art,” opens Friday at the Napa Valley Museum. An impressive list of local artists have contributed works to this annual fundraiser for the museum. Beginning at a Friday evening reception, viewers may buy “chances” to win their favorite work in the form of $5 tickets to put in the raffle boxes by each work. Tickets are available throughout the month, until the winning tickets are chosen at a reception April 28.

Francisco Goya’s “Los Caprichos” etchings, one of the most influential series of graphic images in the history of Western art, will be on display at the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art April 14 through June 10.

Tickling the ivories — Vocalist Andrew Moore and some special guests will present “The Music Men,” a behind-the-songs look at such beloved composers as Berlin, Gershwin, Kern, Porter and Rodgers, at Copia Thursday night. Moore’s musical exploration of the great American songbook begins at 8 p.m., preceded by a sparkling wine reception, courtesy of Domaine Chandon. Tickets for this Community Spotlight Concert at $20 and can be ordered at 259-1600 or www.copia.org.

NEW YORK — Justin Timberlake blames celebrity magazines for turning his personal life into juicy gossip fodder.

“If you think of the Napa Valley as a paint-by-number set, then the statistics Arts Council Napa Valley has uncovered make for a rich palette by which we can deepen our view of the local arts assets and how they fit into the broader landscape,” said cultural planning consultant Morrie Warshawski. These statistics, generated from Arts Council Napa Valley’s new cultural resources database, are critical to understanding Napa Valley arts.

Na’Lei Hulu I Ka We’kiu, the dynamic Hawaiian dance company based in San Francisco, performs its blend of traditional and contemporary hula at the Napa Valley Opera House on April 14 at 8 p.m.

The 14th annual Napa Valley Mustard Festival’s photography contest crowned two dozen winners at its festive Photo Finish at Mumm Napa last Saturday night.

Is it possible for a woman to be folded up inside a 12-inch box? Could a man walk through the whirling blades of an industrial fan? Do people defy the laws of gravity? Can a performer escape from a water-filled container like the legendary Houdini?

Vintage High School choral students left of trail of songs around New York City during a recent visit. Fifty members of the concert choir, chaperones and teachers Mark Teeters and Jan Lanterman left March 23 to perform at the Heritage Festival of Gold at Riverside Church in Manhattan. But as the students enthusiastically recounted their adventures after their return March 28, it was clear they didn’t limit their songs to the competition.

Napans Jesika Salt and Andrew Nolan appear on stage in Solano College Theatre’s production of “The Underpants,” a comedy adapted by Steve Martin and based on a play by Carl Sternhein, which opens Friday.

St. A's student in geography bee

Education

Don Fraser -- who relishes a good story and knows how to tell one -- is looking for accounts from children and adults with treasured memories connected to the Peanuts gang.

Eleodoro Hernandez is a happy man.

Vintner Mike Grgich and Queen Noor of Jordan will receive the Roots of Peace 2007 Global Citizen awards at a luncheon May 6 aboard the Queen Mary 2, before the ship departs on a six-day “Cruise for Peace,” crossing from New York to Southampton, UK. A reception will feature Grgich Hills Estate wines.

NEW YORK — Composer-turned-writer Steph Waller considers herself something of a wine connoisseur.

More wine regions from around the world signed onto the effort to protect wine place and origin as they signed a joint declaration in Washington, D.C., last week.

The owners of the new Bleaux Magnolia restaurant in Napa happily report that they now have their liquor license so they will begin serving dinners tonight.

One might think that with a last name like Baker, one would take this rather broad hint from fate as a direction in life, but actually Mustard’s Grill pastry chef Annie Baker spent 10 years as an accountant before giving up bean counting to pursue a passion for mixing flour, sugar and butter.

In the 1950s, kitchens were all about chrome toasters and white appliances. Perhaps this was supposed to lend a "sanitary" feel to the kitchen. The '60s and '70s ushered in those festive avocado and harvest gold appliances. The last decade was all about sophisticated stainless steel and black. What's coloring the kitchen now?

The annual "Cost vs. Value" article published annually by Remodeling Magazine gives consumers a look at the average price -- and the return on investment -- of all the most popular types of remodels.

Ferman Gonzales grew up on San Antonio's south side, part of a large Hispanic community where developers used to be reluctant to invest. Not so anymore.

A nice way to make the onerous chore of weeding more appealing is to call it gardening. At least, it sounds better.

The American Institute of Architects San Francisco Chapter has been awarded two grants totaling $9,000 from the American Institute of Architects to develop detailed podcast walking tours of significant structures in San Francisco.

Jill Woolley and David Sinclair of Napa announce their engagement to be married on June 30 in Napa.

Katie McNamara and John Thompson of Napa announce their engagement to be married on Aug. 25 in Yountville.

James and Gloria (Thompson) Frame of Dumas, Texas, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on March 17 at Marie Callender's with a luncheon party for family and friends given by their daughter and son-in-law. Their son drove out from Texas to attend and visit his grandmother Juanita Kennedy.

Jim and Virginia (Rigby) Hickey celebrated their 60th anniversary Jan. 21 at their home in Napa. Members of the family celebrated the wedding anniversary and several birthdays falling around the same time with a day of visiting and dinner together.

Fifty years to the day, on Saturday March 17, 2007, Patrick and Carol Timmons celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in Napa. In 1956, when Patrick was in the Navy, he met Carol, who was working at Mare Island Navy Yard. They were married at St. John's Catholic Church in Napa on March 17, 1957.

BROWN-KHISHIGTOGTOKH -- Thomas Francis Brown, 61, Pueblo Avenue, Napa, to Tserenbadam Khishigtogtokh, 36, Miranja Avenue, Alamo.

SANDOVAL-OSUNA -- Melinda Sandoval vs. Rigoberto Osuna, March 6, 2007

St. Helena Hospital