Text and Image Workshop for the Book Arts Guild

On Saturday I went to Burlington, VT, to teach a one-day version of my Text and Image class, which I usually offer as a six-week online course.  I had a great time, and it was lovely to see so many familiar faces, as well as meet new people.  Here are a few pix:

We altered found images using paint and sandpaper.

Here's Debra, experimenting with various ways of making text.

And Cynthia, using stencils to make individual letters.

Marilyn, on the right, and Marcia, on the left, who organized the workshop.

Becky, making gorgeous collages with text and image.

A variety of hand written text

Demonstration With Espresso

Penne's gorgeous lettering and paint transfer experiments.

Layering Text

Playing with Stencils

Combining Text with Image

Visit the Vermont Book Arts Guild, to see what else they offer.  I am teaching another workshop for a book arts group in New Jersey next October, and have taught for various art groups around the country.  If you have an art group in your area and would like to offer a Jane Davies workshop, please let me know. I'm now scheduling 2015.

Percolating and Playing

A comment from one of my Text and Image students inspired me to address the issue of giving ideas time to percolate. Here is what she said about the last lesson, which involved making a series of small collages that tell a story:

[This exercise] reinforced my sense that ideas need time to percolate before being expressed. I had been thinking about the assignment for days, so when I had time to work on it, everything just flowed.

I find I definitely need some percolating time, but this does not mean sitting around doing nothing while waiting for it all to come together seamlessly. For me, it is the struggle that seems to work: I have a few sessions of wrestling (or playing) with ideas and materials, when it all seems so "out there" and unresolved. Then, after a break (usually of working on something else or at least doing a little housekeeping in the studio) I come back to the piece(s) and it DOES all come together.

I used to find this period of unresolved work so frustrating and even debilitating - I was sure I'd never have a worthy idea or make a good piece of art; I was sure that for real artists it can't be nearly this hard or frustrating. Now, however, I have made friends with this part of the creative process, and I consider it fun, playful, and necessary. I embrace the open-ended aspect of it, and I don't worry whether a piece will resolve itself or not.

Playing with Pouring Paint

Since making a regular practice of using my sketchbook, I do lots of playing in it, purposely pushing myself off-balance and mixing things up, posing unsolvable visual questions just for fun! It has made my art practice SO much more enjoyable, and maybe even more productive! I have totally let go of the idea that something has to be resolved and finished, and it has made me more open to taking risks and pushing through the boundaries of habit.

Throwing Myself Off Balance

For daily inspiration to work in your sketchbook, check out the Sketchbook Challenge, or just consider a New Year's (or Solstice, or Holiday) gift to yourself to take a few minutes each day to play with paint, drawing, collage, or stitch, whatever your medium of choice.

Circles (which have ended up all over my work)

Percolating and playing are inextricably related. DOING, engaging in the process, is what keeps you fresh, keeps the ideas flowing, and facilitates the lovely surprises and discoveries of making art.

Text and Image Online Class

Just thought I would show off some gorgeous pieces from my Text and Image online class. I'll be offering this six-week class again in the spring, beginning April 4. Click here for a full description.

Altering Imagery

Making Transparencies

Playing with Ways of Creating Text

Transparencies again (we all agreed that this reminded us of the house in Daphne DuMaurier's "Rebecca"!)

Pairing Found Text and Image (in French)

Creating Gorgeous Backgrounds for Transparencies

Creating Text with Sgraffito Technique

I am thrilled with all the participation, the work, the comments, the discussions. It is extremely gratifying to see people take off with the assignments I give and make such individual and unique pieces.

Text and Image Class Starting Soon!

Hello. My online class, "Text and Image: Telling Stories in Collage", is beginning next Wednesday, October 19, and I have a fabulous group enrolled. I opened the group blog a few days ago, so people are introducing themselves. Sharon Gorberg is joining us again; check out her blog. We also have Renate, from Germany, who has a blog to share. Joan, Peggy, Sylvia, Marny, Kathleen, Priscilla, Kaliphoenix, and Bonnie are all repeats from previous classes - great to have you back! There is still room to join this exciting adventure. Read about it here, and join us if you like!

New Online Class

I'm delighted to offer a new online class, Text and Image: Telling Stories in Collage, starting October 19. In this workshop we will explore the power of image-word relationships by pushing beyond the traditional "illustrated text" or "photo with caption" formats into a world of complex layers of meaning, exciting surprises, and personal expression. Read the full description here.

And here are a few things my previous students had to say about my Color and Composition workshop, both of which I'm offering again starting January 4 and February 15, respectively.

I want to say THANK YOU to Jane and to everyone in the class for making this such an inspirational experience. I've learned so much from you all. I have to say that this class has de-mystified so much about collage that I just never "got" before. I am thrilled beyond words, so thank you!

I really appreciated the time and attention you put into doing both the written material and the video demonstrations. The printed lessons are terrific - and the exercises you suggested really did get me to focus on the material. It takes a great teacher to pull everything together like that.

I thought your course was fabulous and learned tons from watching what other people did and from reading your comments to them. I loved your videos and felt they contributed greatly to the weekly lessons and I also felt there was a very cohesive flow from one lesson to another.

I am very excited to teach this online class, as I've been working with found text and pairing it with images on and off for quite a while. I love using different kinds of text for its visual texture and pattern, and also using it for its meaning - which can be completely altered by the imagery associated with it. Fun fun FUN! Hope some of you can join us!