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.