An interview: travel, art and molas

Thought you'd enjoy this video interview of me, by Miriam Schulman of Handcrafted Holidays. I talk about my destination workshop trips with The Blue Walk and Arts and Cultural Travel: Charleston, South Carolina and Montreal-Quebec City. AND about a new Handcrafted Holidays online class with 10 teachers, including me.

You can get a free pdf of my top 10 places to paint, by signing up here.

SIGN UP FOR Handcrafted Holidays here.

Art Quilt Collage: A Creative Journey in Fabric, Paint and Stitch a book by my friend Deborah Boschert

 Art Quilt Collage: A Creative Journey in Fabric, Paint and Stitch

By my friend, Deborah Boshcert 

Art Quilt Collage: A Creative Journey in Fabric, Paint and Stitch

My friend, Deborah Boschert has a new book! 

Here's the description: Make treasured art quilts from bits of cloth, stitched motifs, and painted details. Dip your toes into the world of art quilting with mixed-media techniques, practice exercises, checklists, and work-along projects presented using 8 design guides. This visual, step-by-step guide will help you unlock your own artistic vision as you quilt in a series, finish small art pieces, and incorporate meaningful symbols into your work.

• Tap into your creative muse! Art quilt inspiration, techniques, and checklists presented in 8 easy-to-use design guides
• Uncomplicated, visual guide to fabric collage with practice pieces to help you gain expertise
• Tell your own artistic story with colors, materials, and beloved symbols

And watch a short video chat with me and Deborah here.

And the winner is: Cindy Courtney! c

Why wait? You can buy a signed copy of Deborah's book in her Etsy shop (and the first 50 buyers a piece  of original surface designed fabrics by Deborah.)

Art Quilt Collage: A Creative Journey in Fabric, Paint and Stitch

The Sound of Sunshine ~ A library card collage

The Sound of Sunshine (10 x 8.25 inches)
by Jane LaFazio ($125 in my JaneVille Etsy shop)

detail ~The Sound of Sunshine  
by Jane LaFazio 

detail ~The Sound of Sunshine  
by Jane LaFazio 

detail ~The Sound of Sunshine  
by Jane LaFazio 

detail ~The Sound of Sunshine  
by Jane LaFazio 

detail ~The Sound of Sunshine  
by Jane LaFazio 

detail ~The Sound of Sunshine  
by Jane LaFazio 

detail ~The Sound of Sunshine  
by Jane LaFazio 

detail ~The Sound of Sunshine  
by Jane LaFazio 

detail ~The Sound of Sunshine  
by Jane LaFazio 

detail ~The Sound of Sunshine  
by Jane LaFazio

detail ~The Sound of Sunshine  
by Jane LaFazio 

LavenderSage Art Retreats~ my journal

front cover ~ LavenderSage Art Retreat ~ by Jane LaFazio

that's my name tag
(a photo of Nicolai Fechin, the namesake of the room I stayed in)
LavenderSage Art Retreat ~ by Jane LaFazio

I just returned from my week long signature LavenderSage Art Retreat in Taos. I taught the student an assortment of art making techniques, and created a journal along with them. 

It is amazing and powerful how much more an illustrated journal can be than just the memory of a place, or 100 photos on your iphone...

Here's my memory of Taos, New Mexico.

Sage stick cactus, in progress~ LavenderSage Art Retreat ~ by Jane LaFazio

I bought the sage stick cactus at the fabulous Taos Farmers Market. It scented my room all week.

Got the 'cactus' at the Taos Farmers Market
 LavenderSage Art Retreat ~ by Jane LaFazio

Me demoing to my group at Taos Farmers Market
~ LavenderSage Art Retreat ~ by Jane LaFazio

Speaking of the Farmers Market, I took my group there to soak up the joy and ambiance and to work in their journals on location.

Farmers Market page~ LavenderSage Art Retreat ~ by Jane LaFazio

monoprints ~ LavenderSage Art Retreat ~ by Jane LaFazio

Channeling Georgia O'Keeffee ~ LavenderSage Art Retreat ~ by Jane LaFazio

monoprints and watercolor~ LavenderSage Art Retreat ~ by Jane LaFazio

juniper in progress~ LavenderSage Art Retreat ~ by Jane LaFazio

my near earrings!~ LavenderSage Art Retreat ~ by Jane LaFazio

I love the page below! My fab new earrings and how much they turquoise resembles the juniper berries.

watercolor and monoprint ~ LavenderSage Art Retreat ~ by Jane LaFazio

map and photos and pine cone drawing ~ LavenderSage Art Retreat ~ by Jane LaFazio

poem and monoprint ~ LavenderSage Art Retreat ~ by Jane LaFazio

 At the Taos Farmers Market, I met the Dream Poet. He'll write you a poem, on the spot, for $5. He asked for a prompt and all I said was "LavenderSage." Here's the poem:

Poem by the Dream Poet~ LavenderSage Art Retreat ~ by Jane LaFazio

 "Clearing the space, and adding dreams to it" 

What a perfect phrase and description of our art retreat....

photo of Dream Poet~ LavenderSage Art Retreat ~ by Jane LaFazio

watercolor & photo~ LavenderSage Art Retreat ~ by Jane LaFazio

page from my journal ~ LavenderSage Art Retreat ~ by Jane LaFazio

page from my journal~ LavenderSage Art Retreat ~ by Jane LaFazio

work in progress at the museum ~ LavenderSage Art Retreat ~ by Jane LaFazio

We spent a fabulous afternoon at the Harwood Art Museum. A docent tour, and then I demoed how to draw in a museum, from an artwork. The museum only allowed pencils, so I changed from my usually watercolor.

me, at the museum ~ LavenderSage Art Retreat ~ by Jane LaFazio

page from my journal~ LavenderSage Art Retreat ~ by Jane LaFazio

page from my journal ~ LavenderSage Art Retreat ~ by Jane LaFazio

demo at the church in Rancho de Taos ~ LavenderSage Art Retreat ~ by Jane LaFazio

in progress ~ LavenderSage Art Retreat ~ by Jane LaFazio

San Francisco de Asis at Rancho de Taos ~ LavenderSage Art Retreat ~ by Jane LaFazio

Thanks for looking over my shoulder at my journal.

LavenderSage Art Retreat 2017 registration will open late October. More about the retreat in this blog post.

My online class "Sketching and Watercolor: Journal Style" is open for registration. Details here.

I teach a similar workshop, this book structure with watercolor and printmaking, "Nature Journal" at Madeline Island School of the Arts, July 10-14, 2017 in Wisconsin. Details here.

LavenderSage Art Retreat 2016

LavenderSage Art Retreat ~ 2016 ~ photo by Jane LaFazio

Mabel Dodge Luhan House, Taos New Mexico ~ photo by Jane LaFazio

Oh my, I had such a wonderful time at my recent LavenderSage Art Retreat in Taos, New Mexico. There was so much to share, I made this little video of the retreat.

You can find out more about LavenderSage Art Retreat here. Registration will probably open in late October for next year's August 20-27 retreat.

LavenderSage Art Retreat ~ 2016

What do Georgia O'Keeffe and I have in common?

New Mexico skies are gorgeous and constantly changing. (photo by Jane LaFazio)

Listen to what Dan Fogelberg had to say about Georgia O'Keeffee:

Dan Fogelberg's "Bones in the Sky" about Georgia O'Keeffe. 

Did I mention the skies of New Mexico?  (photo by Jane LaFazio)

Yup. and so does LavenderSage Art Retreats

San Francisco de Asis, Rancho de Taos. photo by Jane LaFazio

San Francisco de Asis, Rancho de Taos. photo by Jane LaFazio

Taos Pueblo land. photo by Jane LaFazio

Morada (Penitente), Taos   photo by Jane LaFazio

One of my best Yoga Poses in Public Places

Yoga Poses in Public Places. DH Lawrence Ranch.
outside Taos, New Mexico September 2016

THE actual tree, at DH Lawrence Ranch that Georgia O'Keeffe painted

Lawrence Tree by Georgia O'Keeffe (1929)

Yes, we visited DH Lawrence Ranch outside Taos, New Mexico, to SEE the tree that Georgia O'Keeffe lay below and inspired her to paint Lawrence Tree. And yes, I did a Yoga Pose in Public Places standing on the bench (that she may have laid upon) in front of the tree.