JaneVille

Monday, October 24, 2016

From my sketchbook ~ Greece 2016

Strolling the old streets of Naxos, Greece.

Watch the video of my Sketchbook from Greece 2016

Yours truly, drawing on location in Greece

Can't go to Europe with me to learn to draw and watercolor? Join me online. Sketching and Watercolor: Journal Style starts this week!

Click here for more information

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Greece 2016 continued ~ teaching and yoga

teaching on location in Mykonos

During our 14 days in Greece, I gave a sketching and watercolor lesson, on location, nearly every day. My students were all levels, from true beginners, to the more experience artist.

sketching in Athens

Our wonderful group!

teaching during and after lunch

teaching on the street

AND we did yoga! One of my students, Michele, offered to teach yoga during our trip.

Yoga on the beach in Naxos

Yoga on Amorgos, overlooking the sea

Yoga women! in Naxos

Next post, my sketchbook.

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Greece 2016

Our group!

I've just returned from 14 days in Greece. I had 16 extraordinary women as my students. We traveled from Athens to Amorgos to Naxos to Mykonos together, painting, eating, talking, and laughing.

Our classroom on the island of Amorgos

The view from my room on the island of Amorgos

One of many delicious meals together

Mykonos (photo by Cheryl Flatt)

After the 300 steps to the Monastery on Amorgos

Another fun and fabulous meal together

A gorgeous church on Mykonos

Yet another fun meal!

Yes, we did sketch and watercolor together nearly every day, and I'll show you some of those photos on my next post.

another view from the island of Amorgos

Sunday, October 02, 2016

Late Summer Garden ~ a mixed media collage

"Late Summer Garden" 11x15 inches by Jane LaFazio

it kind of started with a hand carved stamp

in progress ~ "Late Summer Garden" by Jane LaFazio

I'm enjoying making mixed media collages from bits and bobs in my studio...This is mounted on fine quality watercolor paper, with collage, tea bags, hand carved original stamps, vintage lace and hand and machine stitching.

detail ~ "Late Summer Garden" by Jane LaFazio

Here's a little VIDEO view of the artwork.

detail ~ "Late Summer Garden" by Jane LaFazio

Thursday, September 29, 2016

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.

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

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

Thursday, September 22, 2016

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

Sunday, September 18, 2016

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.