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!

Using Found Text

I'm back in the studio for a bit making some new collages. These are made using junk mail and discarded paperback covers (well, I scanned some of the covers and printed them out so I could use them over and over again). They are influenced by two artists I've recently discovered on Flickr, Melinda Tidwell and Kurt Nimmo, both of whom use various forms of found text to make brilliant collages. I also posted these on The Sketchbook Challenge blog as my contribution to this month's theme, Everyday Objects. Paperbacks and junk mail seemed appropriate materials for this theme.

Cultural Literacy

Cultural Literacy 2

The Shape You're In

Chapter 5 in Collage Journeys is about using text in collage, a subject I'm recently revisiting. I will be offering a class locally here in Vermont on the use of text and image in collage, and will also be offering a version of it online starting in October. Don't worry, I will scream and shout about this new online offering - on the blog and e-mail - as soon as I have it nailed down. Thanks for visiting!

Collage Journeys 2011

I've just had a fabulous week with my Collage Journeys in Vermont workshop here in Rupert. What a great group we had, and a great time! We used the fire hall/community center for our studio, so we had loads of space - an eight foot table for each student, and extra space for letting pieces dry etc. Thanks to the Rupert Volunteer Fire Company for the use of the building. Students stayed at the guest house just down the street from the fire hall and next door to my house, so everything was walking distance. The weather cooperated again this year (thank you!) for some lovely walks after lunch. Here are a few pix:

Susie's barn:


Naomi in the back (from TX) and Sue (from Indiana) working on multiple pieces:


A few of Mary's collage (Mary did MANY MANY pieces!):


Helle's tounge-in-cheek piece on framing:


Susie with her grid collage painting:


Naomi's worktable (Naomi did GORGEOUS pieces!):


More of Naomi's hand-painted papers:


One of Margie's gorgeous hand-painted papers:


Mary at work:


Helle and Margie at work:


Thanks to all of you who participated! You all worked hard and created beautiful pieces.

Art Unraveled in Phoenix

This was my first year at Art Unraveled, and I had so much fun!! The students were great, super creative, and a blast to be with. I met other teachers, some of whom I know in cyberspace, including Jane La Fazio (one of the Sketchbook Challenge sisters) and Ingrid Dijkers, whose gorgeous art dolls appear in my book Adventures in Mixed Media. I also met Gail Russakov, who introduced herself to me via e-mail beforehand, and was a great help in getting me oriented to Art Unraveled.

Without further ado, here is some eye candy from the experience:

A couple of collages from Deborah:



One from Meredith, Deborah's daughter:


The above collages were done in my Scribble Collage class, in which we painted papers all morning and made collages all afternoon.

In New Dimensions in Collage we made house-shaped dimensional collages using foam core. Here are a few samples:

Ingrid's house in progress. LOVE that red!


Debbie's house piece:


And Michele's:


And a couple of people shots:


This is a super well-organized event, so everything ran smoothly. The venue, the Embassy Suites, was luxurious and also very affordable for Art Unraveled participants. If you are looking for a retreat for 2012, consider this one.

Collage Journeys in Vermont

It's August already! What happened?? My Collage Journeys workshop here in Rupert is coming up in a couple of weeks, and I just got TWO CANCELLATIONS!!! - Yikes!! - due to life happening the way it sometimes does. Surprises, crises, the unexpected. So.... I have two spaces available now, both including housing.

We will do this:

And this:

And this:


And this:

And this:

And these (visual journals):
And lots of messes:
And get silly:
And take walks:

Come join us for a relaxing yet inspiring retreat in my peaceful little town.

Wind Hill Workshop

I had the great pleasure of teaching a private workshop at Wind Hill Farm yesterday, just about twenty minutes from my studio. Mary Gerster, the hostess, had seven friends over, some form Connecticut and New York, and a few who have houses in this area, and opened her studio up for a workshop. Read an essay by Mary here. She is very active in our local Southern Vermont Art Center. Her studio is the upstairs of a renovated barn (designed by my Sweetie, an architect) in a totally storybook Vermont setting - meadows, flowers, views of the Green Mountains.

Here are a few pictures of the event:

Jane, a retired art teacher:


Dot and Delores:

My demonstrations sample:


Mary's collage:


Jane's collages:




We were using stripes as a format for exploring aspects of composition. I love doing private workshops! Have art, WILL TRAVEL. If you are interested in hosting a Jane Davies workshop in your own studio (or church basement or fire hall), e-mail me.

Introducing Priscilla Read

I have been posting less frequently because I am happily busy with my online classes, Keys to Dynamic Composition and Unlocking the Secrets of Color. I'll be back to posting more regularly in a few weeks, definitely from Art Unraveled, where I'll be teaching on August 8th and 9th.

So, since I'm not doing a lot of new tutorials just now, I thought I would introduce you to one of the creative people taking my COLOR class, Priscilla Read. Check out her blog to view her fabulous quilts, drawings, paintings, and collage. She has been posting some gorgeous pieces in the class!

Here are a few pieces from our color class exploring paint and collage in specific color schemes.


In addition to taking my color class, Priscilla is also following the Sketchbook Challenge, with which I have been involved. I asked Priscilla a few questions about her art background and practice:

How did you get started in quilting?

I did a bit of quilting starting in 1976 when my son was born, then started back up when my father was in a nursing home in 1999. I made him a small quilt from a pattern in a quilting magazine. I immediately joined a quilt guild and learned everything I could about quilting. I served as a workshop coordinator for a couple years and took workshops in every technique possible from traditional to contemporary.





I see that you have the Sketchbook Challenge badge on your blog; what inspired you to follow the Sketchbook Challenge?

I follow blogs of some of the artists hosting the Sketchbook Challenge. Through those connections I happened upon the Sketchbook Challenge blog earlier this month. I intermittently draw and paint in a sketchbook or art journal, but haven’t kept it as a regular practice. The challenge themes interest me and the blog pages are filled with ideas and tutorials to jumpstart you if you get stuck. I like that the definition of a sketchbook and sketching is pretty open and includes any media and format. I like the idea of using the challenge as an opportunity to explore a new medium and as a place to share ideas with others.

How has the Sketchbook Challenge influenced your creative process?

I guess I’m not far enough along to say, but I expect it will open up new ways to express my creativity.



What role does color play in your work?

When I started as a quilter, I gravitated to traditional colors. As I learned more, my color palette expanded to include all colors from dull to highly saturated. I use contrast to make the color “sing”.

What drew you to take a workshop in color?

I’ve taken workshops for quilters in color and have done color exercises using both paint and fabric, but haven’t used both at once for color experiments in an organized fashion. I was drawn to this particular workshop because of the mixed media connection.

Can you tell us a bit about incorporating collage and other mixed media into your quilts?

One of my goals is to incorporate my own drawing, painting, and photographs into my work. As I am learning ways to use mixed media into my quilts, I am discovering my own unique style. I have a lot of interests and can’t decide on any one media – I guess that’s why I’m attracted to mixed media – I want to do it all.

More Student Work

I am blown away again by the gorgeous pieces that are showing up on my Keys to Dynamic Composition blog. These are pieces by students taking the online workshop of that name, which I will be offering again in January. These are studies, pieces in progress, and finished works dealing with the abstract landscape:







This is a group of small landscape studies:


And this is one more piece from Lesson 1 about shapes:

Thanks to all of you participating in this workshop, and thanks to everyone visiting the blog.