from my sketchbook ~ Kings Canyon Sequoia National Park and the 4th of July

from my sketchbook and in my ETSY shop ~ Jane LaFazio

Some more photos and pages from Montecito Sequoia Family Summer Camp, where I taught for a week.

from my sketchbook and in my ETSY shop ~ Jane LaFazio

from my sketchbook and in my ETSY shop ~ Jane LaFazio

No, I won't be giving up my art career for music, anytime soon.

from my sketchbook and in my ETSY shop ~ Jane LaFazio

On the 4th of July, Montecito Sequoia has a cool tradition. Guests can build a bark boat (the base is a piece of bark from a tree) and then launch it in the lake at sunset. You can see our boat above and in the lake. I wrote our wishes on the sail.

Also on the 4th, dinner and dancing and all kinds of fun at the lake. Below is a super short video (24 seconds)  to give you an idea of the fun! (go to my blog to see the video)

from my sketchbook ~ teaching in Kings Canyon Sequoia National Park

For the past 6 years, husb and I have gone to Montecito Sequoia Family Summer Camp for one week each summer. I teach sketching and watercolor to the adults in the morning, and then we get to participate in the activities the rest of the day. It's great fun, in a beautiful place with lovely families. 

from my sketchbook and in my ETSY shop ~ Jane LaFazio

from my sketchbook and in my ETSY shop ~ Jane LaFazio

My sketchbook pages part way through the week.

We took ukulele lessons during the week, and I definitely see a ukulele (and more lessons!) in my future.

from my sketchbook and in my ETSY shop ~ Jane LaFazio

from my sketchbook and in my ETSY shop ~ Jane LaFazio

One of the classes was doing Andy Goldsworthy style art. (above)

in progress ~ Jane LaFazio

from my sketchbook and in my ETSY shop ~ Jane LaFazio

And of course I did a Yoga Pose in Public Places!

from my sketchbook ~ and a short video

from my sketchbook ~ Jane LaFazio

from my sketchbook ~ Jane LaFazio

from my sketchbook ~ Jane LaFazio

In San Diego, in the summer, there are lots of free concerts around town. Our favorites are the Lake Poway concerts. I made this short video (with my IPhone) of a recent concert. (You can go to my blog to see it.)

from my sketchbook

from my sketchbook ~ Jane LaFazio

We have a beautiful winery, within walking distance of our house. Bernardo Winery. And they have free jazz concerts every Sunday afternoon. We love to go there and listen to the music, draw and paint, and oh yea, maybe a glass of wine.

Sketchbook Skool

"Beginnings" at Sketchbook Skool from Sketchbook Skool on Vimeo.

Sketchbook Skool  semester one"Beginnings" starts again on July 4th! Yup, they are rerunning the 6 week class. The one where I was one of the 6 teachers. If you missed it, do sign up now! 
(if you can't see the videos, go to my blog to view them. please.)

And here's the video where Danny Gregory interview me, about my class in Sketchbook Skool, semester one "Beginnings".
SBS: A chat with Jane LaFazio from DannyGregory on Vimeo.

And, if you already took semester one of Sketchbook Skool, you're ready for semester two called "Seeing." And it also starts July 4


"Seeing" at Sketchbook Skool from Sketchbook Skool on Vimeo.

Poke Salad Annie Series ~ Green Bird

in progress 

BeBop ~ my self proclaimed studio assistant

"Poke Salad Annie Series ~ Green Bird" by Jane LaFazio (10x14inches)

If you've been following my blog for a while, you know I've been a little obsessed with the Poke Weed I saw in Central Park last September. I'd never seen it before and fell in love with the gorgeous colors. Since then, I've been working on individual pieces, within that theme. I thought I was going to create one large quilt, using all the pieces...but I didn't. Instead, I have created 5 small  quilts for my "Poke Salad Annie Series," and here is the first completed one.

"Poke Salad Annie Series ~ Green Bird" detail by Jane LaFazio

"Poke Salad Annie Series ~ Green Bird" detail by Jane LaFazio

"Poke Salad Annie Series ~ Green Bird" detail by Jane LaFazio

"Poke Salad Annie Series ~ Green Bird" detail by Jane LaFazio

"Poke Salad Annie Series ~ Green Bird" detail by Jane LaFazio

I call this technique of creation and assembly "Free Spirited Free Motion." I'll be teaching it this summer at CREATE in Chicago on Friday, August 15 and at CREATE Seattle Thursday, October 23.

I'm teaching at Art Unraveled in Phoenix, Arizona

August 3: Layered Journal Pages

August 3: Layered Journal Pages

I'm teaching at Art Unraveled Phoenix, Arizona for the 7th year in a row. It's great fun, and I hope you'll join me!. I'm teaching 3 classes. (Click on the name for details)
August 3: Layered Journal Pages
August 4: Eight Objects Eight Ways
August 5: Sketching and Watercolor on a Collaged Background

August 4: Eight Objects Eight Ways

August 4: Eight Objects Eight Ways

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August 5: Sketching and Watercolor
on a Collaged Backgrounds

August 5: Sketching and Watercolor
on a Collaged Backgrounds

We stay in an excellent Embassy Suites hotel, and it's fully air condition and with very reasonable rates! Each evening, instructors and students gather in the lounge to chat and share. About 350 people attend, and it's loads of fun!
Register Now! Art Unraveled  

one last Farmer's Market ~ Cannes, France

The photo above was the farewell dinner, with the whole group, in Nice, France. We'd asked the waiter to take our photo. But first he took his own photo!


Hope you enjoyed my photos of my time in Europe!

The back story:I spent about two and a half weeks in Europe, the end of May/first of June. The first week teaching 14 women on Lake Como, Italy, then I took the train to Nice, France, and met a new group of 13, and taught for a week.  Next year, I'll be teaching sketching and watercolor on a River Cruise on the Danube and in Greece. Hope you'll join me, if you can. You can see, we have lots of fun!