from my sketchbooki ~ Paisley Fever!

A page from my sketchbook

Click here for the tutorial I did on this layered page technique.

Wild FlowerChild

Sketching and Watercolor at the Wildflower Center in Austin Texas.

 
After lunch, my students were busy photographing and finishing up their drawings, so I stole a few moments alone to sketch.

My page in progress.

I'd lent my waterbrush to a student, so I did these only in pencil then ink.

my completed sketchbook page

When I returned back to our Lavender Sage Art Retreat location, I finished the page with color pencil and a tiny bit of watercolor.

Our recent retreat, in Austin, Texas, was co-facilitated by my dear friend, Pamela Underwood. She's a fabulous expressive arts therapist, and one morning, she led us on a 'poetry walk.' From the phrases I jotted down, I wrote this poem: 

Wild FlowerChild

yellow wildflower faces beckon me;
lavender blooms gather for a meeting.
even the teeny tiny beauties hold their heads high and look at me expectantly.

the asphalt pathway gently guides me;
the sound of my footprints are my companions
as both birds and butterflies compete for my attention.

moths synchronize swim through a pool of flowers.
a shower of butterflies engulfs me
as the wildflower patchwork warms my daylight nest.
the ancient tree arms hold me gently, foreshadowing my future.
the bright green 
sprouts from the earth are my new beginnings too.

mockingbird impersonators increase the morning cast of characters
spiral shadows cast on the stone, the curtains to my stage.

I don't know the words to that birdsong
so maybe I'll dance to it instead.

Jane LaFazio
April 23, 2012
Austin, Texas

Lavender Sage Art Retreat ~ in Austin, Texas

We constructed a cairn together.

Lavender Sage Expressive Arts Mixed Media Retreat

I'm just home from teaching a 5-day art retreat in Austin Texas, with my dear friend, Pamela Underwood. We had 8 simply fabulous women join us for art making and expressive arts activities. It was wonderful. 

We shared, talked, ate together.

conversations, un-interrupted. 

We taught and made art

We walked in Austin's beautiful Hill Country.

We made art and friends

I did a half moon pose, overlooking Austin. Just because.

We spent the day at the wildflower center, sketching and water color painting.

We made prayer flags.

We all stayed here, at Turtle Crow in Austin, Texas

We went to visit some galleries, and out to dinner.

I'm so lucky to be able to do what I do, and in such fine company! Thank you dear Lavender Sage women! 

Pamela and I will be posting more about this recent retreat on our Lavender Sage blog. Our next retreat will be in Taos, New Mexico in June 2013. And we hope to have another, in Austin in October 2013. 

April Sketchcrawl

 
Our wonderful San Diego Sketchcrawl group met this month, at Susie & Chris Clark's garden. I didn't get the chance to draw all these gorgeous flowers (and pet tortoise) so I photographed them.

Just part of Susie and Chris' garden.

Our group always gathers around 12:30 for lunch and to share our journals from that morning's sketching.

from my sketchbook

a page from my sketchbook.










Check out my teaching schedule...I hope to see you in one of my classes, in person or online!