Introducing The Kindness Chronicles

Remember back in in December when we were focusing on making the world a better place through simple acts of service and kindness?

Well I'd like to introduce a new, on-going feature on my blog.

When I was interviewed by Rice' Freeman-Zachary about the project for her podcast, she asked if it was going to become an ongoing project. I hadn't thought too much about it. I really do try to keep service in mind all the time so I didn't think of it as a "project" but of course I'd love to keep it going.

Small kindnesses mean a great deal - the last group I taught for left me this lovely flower to brighten my hotel room.

Leave it to a go-getter like Jane LaFazio to push me into getting things done. Or actually, to go ahead and make plans and get things done whether I've got my rear in gear or not. She put together this beautiful button and suggested that we post on the first Sunday of every month, telling about some of the little acts of service we've done. We're not trying to brag - at all - just give you all more ideas that you can try as well. Really - it's fun to do little things that brighten someone's day.

Would you care to join us? If you'd like to add this lovely little button to your blog please go ahead and copy and paste this into a widget for your sidebar. It's got the html embedded to link back to this explanatory post.





If you send me a link to your kindness blog post I'd love to list it in my next Kindness Chronicles post. It's so easy to bring a smile to someone's face. Let's make the world a better place, shall we? 

Bead It Like You Mean It - Jane LaFazio

The Bead It Like You Mean It

Blog Hop Giveaway

is winding down...

Today the fabulous Jane LaFazio is reviewing and then giving away one of the last two copies of this hour and a half long workshop. On Wednesday Tracie Lyn Huskamp is giving the last one away. And then the introductory sale price of $19.95 goes up to $24.95.

I've introduced you to Jane in the past (read a series of posts here) - she's still one of my favorites. She's full of boundless energy and enthusiasm and is fearless about trying new techniques. 

Head over to JANE'S BLOG today and leave a comment to win a copy of Bead It Like You Mean It.

THIS is what Jane did after viewing my DVD.

Read the post about her project of fight Breast Cancer here. 

What crazy thing are you inclined to bead?

ARTSPARK Giveaway Day 5!

Today it's Jane LaFazio's turn. Interweave Press is sponsoring a copy of Jane's absolutely wonderful DVD "From Art Journaling to Art."

And as if that wasn't enough... she's sweetening the pot with a couple of other delicious goodies. 

I must admit that it's usually at about this point that I wish I could enter all the giveaways myself. I WANT THIS DVD!!! Guess I'll just have to go buy one.

If you want to get to know Jane a little better you can read this Artists Spotlight.

Here is the whole amazing ARTSPARK HOT! HOT! HOT! giveaway schedule. Remember that you can head back to the previous giveaways, find the right post to comment on, and check back on the 19th to see if you've won.

Wed August 10 Carla Sonhiem http://carlasonheim.wordpress.com/
Thurs August 11 Diana Trout  http://dianatrout.typepad.com/blog/ 
Fri August 12 Gloria Hansen http://www.gloriahansen.com/weblog/ 
Sat August 13 Tracie Lyn Huskamp http://thereddoor-studio.blogspot.com/
Sun August 14 Jane LaFazio http://JaneVille.blogspot.com 
Mon August 15 Jill Berry http://jillberrydesign.com/blog/
Tues August 16 Judy Coates Perez  http://judyperez.blogspot.com
Wed August 17 Kelli Nina Perkins http://ephemeralalchemy.blogspot.com/ 
Thurs August 18 Lyric Kinard http://lyrickinard.blogspot.com/
Fri August 19 Melanie Testa http://www.melanietesta.com/mtype/

Art Spark Tutorial Tsunami (part 3)

Couldn't resist including a few more sweet Halloween tutorials.
And guess what - my Halloween playlist is waaaay cool now. (I'll list it in a minute.)

Jane LaFazio

Papier Mache Skulls

Janeville.blogspot.com

Alisa Burke

Pretty Painted Pumpkins

AlisaBurke.Blogspot.com


OK. Here is what has been added to the playlist I told you about here.
Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor"
Nightmare Before Christmas "This is Halloween" and "Oogie Boogie's Song"
Humpback whales singing (the real thing)
The theme from "The Adams Family"
Wagner "Ride of the Valkyries"
Theme song from "Ghostbusters"
Sha Na Na "Witch Doctor"
Micheal Jackson "Thriller"
Theme song from "Dr. Who"
From Harry Potter "It's Halloween" "Double Trouble"
Star Wars Episode V "The Imperial March"
The Sorcerer's Apprentice""
"Dance Macabre"

Art Spark Tutorial Tsunami (part 1)

Same fabulous tutorials have been posted by members of ArtSpark!

Jane LaFazio

Layered Journal Page

 Janeville.blogspot.com

Melanie Testa

Fun Foam Stamps

 melanietesta.com

Part 2 comes tomorrow so check back soon!a

Paying it Forward

Sweet. 

Vivika won my book in Jane LaFazio's giveaway. 

Now she's paying it forward with a giveaway of her own.

Go check her out!

and the WINNER is......

Drum roll please!

128 comments total over the three spotlights of Jane LaFazio. 

You all looooove Jane! 

(So do I.)

LISA BROBERG  QUINTANA over at Michigoose's gander at quilts and life.

Send me an email at lyric (at) pobox.com

with your info and I'll ship it out right away.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Artist Spotlight part 3: Jane LaFazio - DVD Review

I'm sitting here watching Jane's DVD "The Small Art Quilt" and can I just say this right up front? I like Jane. I wish I lived next door to Jane. There is something about her personality that comes through on the screen that makes me think she would be a LOT of fun to hang out with. She talks with her hands. Her voice is nice. Her studio, her clothes, even the stuff on her table, are visually stimulating.

In chapter one Jane takes you through the entire process of making a wool felt, journal sized quilt. She shows you how to sketch out a pattern, choose your materials, cut them, glue them, stitch them, and assemble them. She talks about her materials along the way, her design process and the "why" of the "what" she is making. She truly makes the creation of art look simple and - yes YOU CAN do it! 

Gotta say, it's making me want to make a wool felt quilt. No fraying edges to worry about - not that I actually worry about my fraying edges. I do think about whether I want them there or not and what they add to the design of the piece.

In chapter two you get to follow the creation of a painted quilt from the design process through to the finished piece. She works from a photo of her cute little kitty cat and shows you how to block out shapes and create a pattern. If you thought you needed to know how to draw before you could make a piece like this you are mistaken. Again - she shows you how easy it is.

The other techniques covered on the DVD include raw edge fabric collage, applying embellishments to your quilt, adding words, journaling for inspiration, stamping, and composition. I love the gallery section where she shows you an artwork she's made and explains the details and inspirations.

So - if you are an aspiring quilt artist - I really think you would love to own this DVD! As I mentioned, Jane is a great teacher and she generously shares a plethora of techniques and inspiration. Yup. Two thumbs up from me.

So - do you like to work small? Why? What are the advantages? Leave a comment here letting me know. You can also leave comments in the last two spotlights on Jane here, or here, and you will have a chance to win a copy of Jane's DVD. On Monday morning (early EST) I'll add up all the comments from the three spotlights and throw the total into a random number generator then announce the winner. I wish you luck! Happy creating!

Artist Spotlight part 2:Jane LaFazio - teaching

You all know how much I love teaching! I think that's another reason I love Jane LaFazio - she is a fantastic teacher - someone who willingly and generously shares her creativity and the joy of art! Here is part two of my interview with this lovely artist. 

Lyric: What do you gain as an artist by teaching?

Jane: On a concrete level, it keeps me making art. I’m always creating artwork to learn the process so I can then teach it to my students. I get great ideas and inspiration from what my students create, based on the so called assignment or technique I’ve shown them. And, teaching suits me. I enjoy it very much, I love to get people sharing stories and art with each other, I love to laugh, and make people laugh, I love seeing individuals access their own creativity, and I love sharing and encouraging the process of art making.

L: Tell me about the work you do a Mundo Lindo.

J: I created Mundo Lindo, a free afterschool art program for 4th and 5th grade kids in low income Escondido in 2007. It was funded by a grant for the first two years, and now the center, where the classes were held, has hired me to continue the program. For 2 hours each week, I teach about 20 kids an art project. We've painted palm husks to look like African masks, created papier mache sail boats, drawn and collage Trees of Life, woven watercolor landscapes, made Haiti House pins sell and donated the money to UNICEF for Haiti, sewn small quilts for the Dream Rocket project... wonderful fun projects that I think up each week. The arts programs in schools are nearly non existent, and I'm thrilled to be able to give these kids some creative time each week.

L: Tell me about some of the upcoming workshops you'll be doing, and where we can find out about them. 

J: My workshop page on my blog is always updated, and tells me I have a very busy summer ahead! In July, I’m teaching for the first time at Idllywild Summer Arts program, it’s a beautiful mountain community about two and half hours from LA and San Diego. I’m teaching a two day mixed media workshop on July 4 & 5 and a wet-felting workshop July 6. I'll also be teaching at the Long Beach Quilt Festival.

Another new venue for me is a Utah retreat, July 15-18. Limited to 8 students, and I’ll teach 6 hours or so each day. Should be very fun!

MIXED MEDIA Retreat
WHERE: Huntsville, Utah
WHEN: Thursday, July 15 – Sunday, July 19, 2010

Utah Retreat

So - do you love what Jane does as much as I do? Leave a comment and tell us about what you think makes a really great teacher. Have you had any fantastic experiences during a class? What was it about that teacher that really opened things up for you? Remember to leave a comment here or here to be entered to win a copy of her DVD (which I'll review next week).

Artist Spotlight part 1: Jane LaFazio

Hello Friends. I'd like to introduce you to another artist whose work I admire and enjoy. I think you will come to love her artwork as well.

Jane LaFazio is a mixed-media artist working in San Diego California. She has degrees in Graphic Design and Asian Studies, worked for a bit as an international flight attendant, in marketing, and in graphic design. Her career as a full time artist began in watercolors and gradually morphed into collage, sewing, and cloth. I'm very glad it did. Her work with thread and fiber is fascinating, rich, and deep. I was so happy that she took the time out of her very busy schedule this month to answer some interview questions.

Lyric: You are a prolific artmaker - something I hope to become when my children are no longer consume most of my time. (years and years away!) Have you always been prolific?

Jane: I’ve been blessed with a lot of natural energy, and now I’m focusing it on making art. I LOVE making art. As I mentioned, I create a lot of artwork for my workshops and classes, and that act pushes me to finish a project, and work out the problems, rather than just walk away from it. If I’m scheduled to teach something the next day, I’d better figure it out!

L: Do you have to work to discipline yourself to create art?

J: No, I need the discipline for the household chores, not the art making! I have a wonderful, supportive husband who cooks, shops and even does the laundry. Yes, I appreciate him VERY much!

L: Do you have any great habits that help you produce?

J: I work small. I like to work small, but it also makes it easier to do many different projects or types of art. And I almost always have some project that I work on in the evenings, watching TV with my husband.

L: I love working small as well. You can always have something with you no matter where you are. You work in a broad range of media and a variety of styles. Do you think this is an advantage, a disadvantage?

J: Seen in the light of “professional artist” probably a disadvantage. What did Kelli Nina Perkins call herself, a “promiscuous art maker.” That would be me. I love all kinds of art, so I’m always switching media and beginning a new passion, for about a week, then I’m on to something else! My sketching and watercolor: journal style has stayed true and consistent for a number of years now. In the past year, I’ve begun creating heavily hand stitched needle-felted pieces that I intend to stay with—I love the work that’s coming out of me and want it to become some of my signature work. But I’ll still see something in a magazine or on line, and rush to my studio to create something I’ve never tried before. I do LOVE a new technique!

L: What inspires your work? Do you work from realistic sketches and try to reproduce them? Are you inspired by your materials?

J: I get inspiration from everywhere. Online, magazines, walks, museum visits, art fairs, shopping… I don’t plan any of my work. No sketches to work out the kinks for me! I just dive in. that’s where working small works for me. I’ll often create a number of small pieces, then assemble them into something larger. But always, with no real plan. I work intuitively, by starting with a material or a color usually. 

Ralph’s Letters, my ‘breakthrough’ piece was created using love letters from an old boyfriend, and I just began a page at a time. (Breakthrough because it was my largest piece to date, and got in many juried show AND was my first piece published in Cloth Paper Scissors, thanks to Lesley Riley.)

Ralph's Letters

L: What are your favorite materials?

J: Needle and thread. I started as a watercolor artist, and as I moved into collaging my watercolor paintings, I started sewing on the paper. Now I also sew on fabric.

I hope you have enjoyed getting to know Jane and her work a little better. She is a prolific blogger and I encourage you to head over and browse through her work. It's complex and rich and beautiful. Next week I'll tell you about some of the amazing work she does in teaching and sharing her creativity. At the end of the month I'll be giving away a copy of her DVD workshop "Small Art Quilts" to a lucky reader. The winner will be chosen from among the comments left on any one of the artist spotlight posts about Jane - including this one. How about telling me your favorite "creative habit." Tell me something that helps you get the work done. (Yes, I am struggling with that particular issue right now. Can you tell?)