bird of paradise

and another.....this is fun!

and another

new thing

Workin' on a workshop proposal idea......

Mixed Media intensive workshop

Taught a 3-day workshop (my 3 day-er) "Mixed Media with Paper & Cloth 3 day intensive" this past week. There were 16 fabulous students who cut and pasted and painted and sewed from 10-4 each day. I hope, I think they all enjoyed it!

Latte Macchiato anyone?

Thinking of Orvieto. "Bella Italia: Orvieto Sketchbook."
My trip is May 2010 and it's a go. Join us! We can drink Latte Macchiatos and draw them too. In fact, we can taste all the Italian Caffès and create a beautiful page in our sketchbook all about caffè!
Caffè - In Italy the word “caffè’” means an espresso. There is no need to specify “espresso.” It is served in a demitasse cup “tazzina” with its own saucer and little stirring spoon.
Caffè Macchiato - “Macchiare” means to stain. This is an espresso “stained” with a tiny bit of hot milk, probably frothed.
Caffè Macchiato Freddo – Freddo means cold. An espresso served in a demitasse cup with cold or lukewarm milk on the side. It is a regular caffè next to a carafe of milk, which you add.
Cappuccino – Most of us know this one – an espresso and steamed, frothy milk added so that there is a layer of milk foam in a larger cup, a tazza. Many barristas make an art of the way the foam appears. An Italian cappuccino is smaller than you get in the U.S. - and better!
Marocchino - In some areas of Italy, also called an Espressino or Mocacchino. It is a shot of espresso served in a glass demitasse with a sprinkling of cacao (chocolate) and milk foam spooned on top.
Caffè Corretto – This literally means a corrected coffee. It is an espresso in a demitasse cup, with a “shot” of liquor of your choice.
Caffè Americano - A shot of espresso with hot water added and served in the larger cup – this is as close as you'll get to American brewed coffee.

felt making workshop at athenaeum

I taught a 1/2 day workshop at the Athenaeum today for 15. We wet-felted! Such a satisfying art---so low tech--so beautiful, and you get felt in just a few hours!

felt that was made

Here are some of the pieces from today's workshop at the Athenaeum, some in progress, some finished. Now they can embellish, or embroider or needle felt--endless possibilites! Denise at Try Our Designs, online, made up the packages of wool roving for us.

Seaport Village, San Diego

Our San Diego SketchCrawlers group met for our monthy..duh...SketchCrawl yesterday at Seaport Village. It's always lovely to sit and sketch, then gather for lunch and share our sketchbooks.

Speaking of camaraderie and art! You know I'm doing the Bella Italia: Orvieto Sketchbook in May 2010? And you know you need to come too! In a nutshell, we'll be sketching and painting (I'll teach you!) and winetasting and sketching and painting and learning to make pasta and sketching and painting and wandering the ancient town of Orvieto and sketching and painting and shopping in the local market and picnicing...Pretty darn lovely, if you ask me. Also, my very good friend, the amazing and extremely witty Jan Phillips will be leading a photography-based trip at the very same time! That means we can all hang together for many of the activities and if you have a friend or spouse who'd rather take photographs than sketch and paint, they can be happy too!

graffiti: in progress

I started the pieces of this in a workshop with Lisa Englebrecht at the Long Beach Quilt Festival. (She's an excellent teacher, by the way, and a lovely human.) At home, I sewed it together, did some stamping, free motion stitching and a little additional paint. I'm not sure what it will become. Maybe a folder, or book cover, or part of a tote..

Today, after yoga, I was thinking how lucky and blessed and I am to be able to create art nearly every day. I LOVE making art--either alone, with friends, and while teaching. Making art is the best thing ever. I'm so glad I discovered my gift for art, and even more glad I've created a life where it is such an integral part of my day. Mucho GRATITUDE here!

soywax and monoprint play date

Remember last June, I brought Melanie Testa out to San Diego to do a workshop? Well some of us got together yesterday and used our new skills. We had a great time and worked all day creating fabulous fabric!

I'm a messy worker

My table was the messiest...thickened dyes and tools.

succulent

This is one of the pieces I did yesterday, the soywax has not been rinsed out yet. I could print this photo and transfer it onto my actual fabric...

arizona aloe

And here's my page from the Botanical Gardens.

me teaching in Arizona

Me (and those shorts, by the way, do those shoes make my butt look big?) teaching at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix last week.

hot bubbles

I wet felted this piece this morning. It's still wet. I'm preparing for a wet felting 1/2 day workshop I'm teaching 8/25 in San Diego. This piece is about 16 inches square. (there's still room in the workshop.)

art unraveled 2009

I taught "Paper on cloth collage" on Wednesday, at Art Unraveled. A wonderful group of artists!

art unraveled 2009

On Thursday, I taught "Sketching & Watercolor: Journal Style: Collections" at Art Unraveled. We were inside, as you can see, and folks brought stuff in to draw. Great class--thank you wonderful students!

art unraveled 2009

Friday, a few hardy souls attended my "Watercolor & Sketching: Journal Style: on location" class. We met up at 6:30 am, and got to the gorgeous Desert Botanical Gardens by 7am. Stayed till a little after 10am. We lucked out with much cooler weather!

art uraveled at botanical garden

Me and my students at 10:30am, leaving the botanical gardens. It was starting to heat up.

art unraveled shopping extravaganza

Art Unraveled hosts a shopping extravaganza on Saturday, during the retreat. I was blessed to have very good sales--THANK YOU art lovers! Here's my booth, with my first non-customer--oh my, that looks like Melly Testa!

My proposal for next year's Art Unraveled is due in a couple of weeks, please let me know if you've got ideas for what I should propose to teach.

Mixed Media with Paper & Cloth class starts October 5

Mixed Media with Paper & Cloth
Oct. 5 – Nov. 16 (7 weeks)
Mondays, 9 AM – 12 noon
Athenaeum Park Blvd Studio San Diego
$180/205. plus $25 mat. fee

I will introduce you to new materials and techniques to create art from paper, cloth or a combination of the two. We’ll created layered, textured artworks using collage materials, paint, drawings, and thread. Come prepared to learn, explore and have fun with a new project each week. Class will be inspirational, positive, and fun, with lots of sharing, laughing, and learning from the others in the class. All levels of experience are welcome, and previous students expect new lessons! Questions, e-mail Jane at PlainJaneStudio@gmail.com

Register: (858) 454-5872 or mail or in-person at Athenaeum Music and Arts Library, 1008 Wall Street, La Jolla, CA 92037 http://ljathenaeum.org/schoolsched1.html

first day of class bring: liquid matte (or gloss) acrylic medium, a foam brush, scissors, and collage papers (like rice paper, magazines, sheer tissues, painted papers, maps, and book pages), pencils and sketchbook or journal. A materials list for the rest of the class will be discussed in the first class. A $25 materials fee will be collected in class.

blue page

An unusual page in my Moleskine. Usually I complete a page in one sitting, or at least in the same location. This page was started in mid July and completed mid August. Crazy, but the colors work, ya know?
I'm back from a wonderful, successful week at Art Unraveled--photos and sketches to come.

my robe robe

My new robe! Made by lovely Ileen from my own spoonflower fabric! She sent me this pic, so I haven't worn it yet. Tres fasionable!

I'm off to Art Unraveled in 110 degree Phoenix, returning in a week or so. If you're in Phoenix, come to the shopping extravaganza on Saturday, August 8th, I'll have lots of my art for sale.

one more long beach photo

On Friday night, a bunch of us went out to dinner. Table for 15 please? In the group are Melly Testa, Pokey, me, Jeannie, Leslie Tucker Jenison, Jamie Fingal, Muna, Carol, Tricia & David, Judy Coates Perez and more.