dried leaf

Here's the other drawing I did at the winery one-on-one class I taught on Sunday. My student, Diane, and I discussed mixing greens. The very first watercolor class I took, one of our first assigments was a green plant. I think back on what a good exercise that was! Nature's greens come in soooo many shades.
The red chop (stamp), on the page, on the top means tiger, because I'm born the year of the tiger. I'm a metal tiger, in case you're wondering.....

winery flowers

I taught another one-on-one class at Bernardo Winery yesterday. Diane was my most excellent student and I forgot to get a photo! darn!!! We had a lovely morning, especially since it's cooled down a little.

Rose

Another. I should have known better, and had the rose facing in. Oh well, that's why I'm making lots of these, to figure out the best way to do them. Watercolor. Hand carved stamp. 5x7 on hot press watercolor paper. I'd like to have a clever name for this process---Any ideas? "draw & paint a flower, design & carve a stamp" is not exactly catchy.

Huge thanks for the positive remarks and support for Mundo Lindo!!

Fundraising for Mundo Lindo!

Mundo Lindo~beautiful world lives on! California Center for the Arts Escondido will be hiring me to continue to teach afterschool art to 4th and 5th graders of Escondido--FREE to the kids! The above letter tells how you can make a donation--any amount--and it will be MATCHED by a generous anonymous donor (up to $5,000)! PRINT this letter, by clicking on the letter and it will take you to Flickr; select 'All Sizes' at the top, then download original size, and print out on your printer.
THANKS in advance! Most Sincerely, Jane LaFazio

winery leaf

Here's my leaf from the lesson I gave at the winery on Wednesday. It was kind of blah, since I was talking and drawing at the same time (always a challenge) so I jazzed it up with background and border.

98 degrees in the shade

I think I'm into orange. Another page from the winery...I'll blame it on the heat.

A lesson at the Winery

I taught a one-on-one "Sketching & Watercolor: Journal Style" lesson at the Bernardo Winery today. Here's my wonderful student, Amy. She did wonderful work! We met at 9:30 and worked till 12:30....It was 98 degrees when we left. whew! Even so, the winery is a lovely setting.

Art appreciation

My Buddy knows fine art work when he sees it! Look at his little pink tongue checkin out the bird sculpture I made. toooooooo cute. I created this in a workshop I took at Art Unraveled from Stephanie Lee. They're made from styrofoam and plaster. I painted and collaged them at home--the heart with wings is meant to look like an old Mexican wood antique (don't cha think?) and the bird...well, like a yellow bird with french words on him. It's a fabulous technique and I am making more--I've got three in my studio, waiting to be finished. And clearly, Buddy likes them!

My sculpture

Funny how Buddy has chosen the bird to chew on. He IS a born hunter!

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.

Long Beach Quilt Festival

Okay, just a few more photos from the Long Beach Quilt Festival. My quilt "Zen Eucalyptus" in the "Edges" exhibition. I'm so proud to have a piece in a big festival like this one, and now the whole "Edges" exhibition is traveling to the Houston Quilt Festival. Yippee!
AND, while I was doing open studios in Long Beach, the Quilts, Inc Vice President and Director of Education came by to see what I was working on. She asked me to submit a proposal to teach at next year's Long Beach Quilt Festival!! VERY flattering indeed!! You know I'll keep you posted as to whether they accept my proposal or not.

Judy Coates Perez has put some video of Make it University's Saturday night 60's 'project runway' craziness. Check it out here.

Jeannie Palmer Moore

My good friend and quilt event roomie, Jeannie Palmer Moore, also did open studios. We have a friendly competition to see who can get published the most in Quilting Arts and Cloth Paper Scissors magazines.

Melly Testa

Another good friend, Melanie Testa, workin' the Bernina at open studios in Long Beach.

Linda Blinn

And Linda Blinn, another friend, at open studios!

Buddy and my Montecito book

I compiled some of my sketch/watercolors from Montecito Summer Camp into an accordian book. Oh, yea, and Buddy.

hot summer days

BeBop.
and that's the slate mosaic floor I created a couple of years ago

Long Beach Quilt Festival: Open Studios

Pokey Bolton was kind enough to invite me to do Open Studios again this year at the Long Beach Quilt Festival. Here I am chatting with my peeps.

Long Beach Quilt Festival: Open Studios

You can see I have some of my sketches and quiltlets on the table. (thanks to Beth for these good photos!)

60s night at Long Beach Quilt Fest

Jamie Fingal, Judy Coates Perez, Leslie Jenison, Pokey Bolton (Editor of Quilting Arts Magazine & Cloth Paper Scissors) Melanie Testa, and me. "Make it University" at the Long Beach Quilt Festival, had a 60's night with Pokey has the host. We were her 'Mod Squad" and helped judge the fashion contest. Mostly we danced and sang along with the music that Pokey played. It was tons of fun! (Jamie & Leslie made the aprons for us.)

Click on the photo to see the whole thing. It's a little too cropped in this blog version

Classes & Workshops

Hey! I updated my website with all my upcoming classes. Got some classes for kids too, and of course adults. Check it out here.

giant dandelion puff

A few photos from our week at Montecito. The largest dandelion puff I've ever seen!

huge sequoia at muir grove

Me & Husb. A Giant Sequoia. Aptly named! These are the world's largest trees.

2009 Montecito Luau night

Luau Night at Montecito.

Montecito Art class outside

Every day, while at Montecito, I taught a sketching & watercolor class. Pretty darn nice working conditions! You can see all the photos from Montecito here (from 2008 and 2009.)

thursday view

More of my art from the week in Montecito. The Sierra Mountains in the distance.

mountain view

Another version, from the same spot on the patio outside the lodge.

lupine

A quick sketch/painting of lupine. We saw lots of fields of lupine throughout the park.

pinecone

corn flower

At Montecito, this last week, I taught art (Sketching & Watercolor: Journal Style) twice each morning to a lovely group of adults. We went to various locations around the camp, set up our chairs and sketched & painted.