Visit to Mexico! Mexico City. first installment.

And we're off! Breakfast at the Tijuana, Mexico airport. 

Our group of nine friends traveled to Mexico City and Puebla. No tour guide, just on our own. We left from San Diego via the new Cross Border Express from Tijuana, Mexico. (Easy and inexpensive flights.)

I'd been hearing that Mexico City had changed and was much safer than it used to be, say 10 years ago. TRUE. We felt very safe, people were extremely helpful and friendly. We took Uber most everywhere. Easy. Well, Mexico City does have a population of 21 million people and it is 7500 feet elevation.

The Red Tree House (B&B in Mexico City)

We stayed at The Red Tree House, Bed and Breakfast in the Condesa neighborhood of Mexico City.(All the links are at the bottom of this post) I can't say enough about how incredibly nice, fun, informative and helpful the staff was! Best staff ever. And the hotel and art and food and rooms were all beautiful. Highly recommend this hotel!

Interior public areas  of The Red Tree House

Closeup of the coyote sculpture (seen above)

Gorgeous artwork and flowers in the entry hall of The Red Tree House

HUGE painting in our room

Breakfast with my amigos on the patio of The Red Tree House

Breakfast at The Red Tree House

Breakfast at The Red Tree House

I'll share more of our trip in my next post. But meanwhile, here are the links so you can plan your trip!

Mexico City
The Red Tree House B&B, Condesa (FANTASTIC)
Merotoro restaurant, Condesa (very good)
Museo del Palacia de Bellas Artes (murals. amazing. do not miss)
Soumaya Museum (incredible collection. do not miss)
La Capital restaurant, Condesa (we ate there twice)
Museo National de Antopologia  (all day venture, with lunch on the patio. do not miss)
Museo Frida Kahlo Casa Azul (Frida and Diego's house. duh, do not miss. make advance reservations)
Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli (amazing building. architect: Rivera)
Murals de Diego Rivera Secretary of Education Building (Diego fans do not miss)

Netouring with guide Kuny. (Private tour and bus)

Puebla

Mesones Sacristia  (small hotel, perfect location, with excellent food)

Talavera de la Reyna (gorgeous quality talavera pottery-there's a factory nearby, but it's closed on Sundays)

Museo Amparo (ultra-modern museum with great upstairs cafe view)

Hotel Royale (Azotea ~3rd floor for drinks and the view)

St Maria Tonatzintla cathedral (like no other you've ever seen!)

Manos de la Tierra (jewelry store)

Carlos Rivero Tours (tour guide and transportation)

Cover Girl. Well, my artwork is on the cover

That's my artwork on the cover of Edible San Diego magazine (March/April 2017 edtiion)

And do take 5 minutes to watch video interview of me! (Watch for BeBop, trying to steal the spotlight!)

Artichoke Family by Jane LaFazio (sold)

New York City! I'm teaching a one day workshop

New York City!
Saturday, May 20, 2017     10am-5:30pm

$145/members $125

Open Center 
22 East 30th Street 
New York, NY 10016

USING SKETCHING AND WATERCOLOR TO CREATE A BEAUTIFUL JOURNAL page OF YOUR LIFE

Today highly experienced artist and art-journaling teacher Jane LaFazio will create a relaxed, fun, supportive, non-judgmental environment to inspire us to create an authentic artistic record of how we see the world. Using a straightforward and intuitive approach to drawing and watercolor, she will equip us with the skills and confidence we need to create an incredible memory journal of our life. In this workshop, geared to beginners but open to all levels, Jane will show us how to: take the time to carefully observe an object before starting to draw it; pick and mix the right colors to capture the right shade or feeling; find our own drawing and painting unique style; and much more.

ONE day class     REGISTER HERE.

Recycled Circles

My recycled circles in progress. (12x12 inches) By Jane LaFazio 

I taught another workshop at San Clemente Art Supply, recently. This one was my popular Recycled Circles ~ mixed media on paper. Thought you'd like to see some pics of some of the fabulous student work.

That's me teaching in the great classroom at San Clemente Art Supply

Happy teacher me!

Student work ~ Recycled Circles

Student work ~ Recycled Circles

Student work ~ Recycled Circles

Student work ~ Recycled Circles

Student work ~ Recycled Circles

Student work ~ Recycled Circles

Student work ~ Recycled Circles

Student work ~ Recycled Circles

Student work ~ Recycled Circles

Student work ~ Recycled Circles

Student work ~ Recycled Circles

I'll be teaching at San Clemente Art Supply again, on May 4, Stamp Design and Carving. Save the date! Registration will open soon. 

Here's a video of some of my fabric recycled circles:

The beauty of my recycled circles project is it can be done on a paper substrate or with fabric, as an art quilt. The video below is an instructional video for the fabric version.

Download the instructional video here.

Valentines

hand made original Valentine by Jane LaFazio

detail ~ hand made original Valentine by Jane LaFazio

I have an exhibition, entitled TEA STORY, up right now at a local tea shop. I created 8 or 9 new works that include tea bags, especially for the show and sale. 

hand made original Valentine by Jane LaFazio

detail ~  hand made original Valentine by Jane LaFazio

After the show was hung, I decided to make some valentines, using the same techniques as the work I created for the TEA STORY. 

I used bits of ephemera found in my studio: unfinished quilts, pretty papers, tea bags, postage stamps, and machine stitched them to a small piece of watercolor paper. Then I added hand embroidery. When the small collages were complete, I zig zagged machine stitched the collages to pre-made greeting cards, stuck them in the envelope and sent them off.

hand made original Valentine by Jane LaFazio

detail ~  hand made original Valentine by Jane LaFazio

hand made original Valentine by Jane LaFazio

detail ~ hand made original Valentine by Jane LaFazio

hand made original Valentine by Jane LaFazio

detail ~ hand made original Valentine by Jane LaFazio

You can see the large stitched collages I created for TEA STORY at Point Loma Tea, San Diego, until March 29th. And I'll be at the reception on Friday night, March 3. But I warn you, the show has only been up a few days and two pieces have sold. 

Here's the postcard for the exhibition at Point Loma Tea.

40 years ago today.......

Wedding Day, Lake Tahoe, Feb 5, 1977

Don and I met on St. Patrick's Day, in a bar in Palo Alto, CA, in 1976. We got married at Lake Tahoe by Rev. Love at the Love Chapel February 5, 1977, wearing blue jeans.

Love Chapel, Stateline, Nevada (back in the day)

 April 1977. Seattle. reception.

We moved from the San Francisco Bay Area in 1977 to Corvallis, Oregon and lived there until 1985.

1984. Seattle, Don's school reunion

Then, we moved to Seoul, South Korea, and lived there from 1985 to 1987.

10th Wedding Anniversary. 1988, Seoul, Korea

We moved to Los Angeles in 1987 and then to San Diego, CA in 1989.

photo booth over the years. Early 1990s

Florence, Italy 1998

Feb 5, 2011 in San Diego

Our 35th Anniversary February 2012 (wearing 3D glasses at a movie)

summer 2014, Sequoia National Park

Seattle, July 2016

40 years together. Through sickness and in health. Through laughter and tears and back to laughter.