Jane Shasky's Blog

flowers and friendship

2012-02-09T12:05:00.000-08:00

What better way to spend a rainy February day than at the NW Flower and Garden show with a dear friend? Yesterday, my friend and amazing artist Sharyn Sowell and I met in Seattle...she came by bus from the north, I on the ferry from the west, and had a wonderful day walking, smelling, photographing and spending our way through the show. We came away inspired, renewed and overwhelmed with spring fever! Here are just a few of the things we saw....

Visit to Robert Kaufman Fabrics

2012-01-26T10:52:00.000-08:00

Last week, my agent Alicia Dauber and I had the opportunity to visit our wonderful fabric license partner, Robert Kaufman Fabrics in Los Angeles. We toured the warehouse, seeing how the large rolls of fabrics arrive from Asia, how the rolls are stored and then watched as the fabrics were put onto the paper bolts, ready for shipping to stores. We also visited the design department and saw many of our new collections in progress. Thanks so much to Evie Ashworth for the great tour!

samples of my Fresh Blueberries and Lemons collections

new collections in progress

new Cherries to be released this year

fabric being wrapped onto paper bolts

From the Heart of the Garden

2012-01-04T14:09:00.000-08:00

One of my newest licensees, Joanna Sheen Ltd., has just released a 2 CD set with my work titled From the Heart of the Garden. I'm so thrilled with everything they've done to produce this wonderful set. Thanks to everyone who bought the CD and have done such great projects with my work, it's so much fun to see what everyone has created!

Jayne Rhodes created this beautiful card from my Lilac Blossom collection.

watch the youtube video here

everything JANE SHASKY!

2011-12-05T10:23:00.000-08:00

All of my great products from LANG are on sale at 25% off...check them out at lang.com!

a perfect fall day

2011-10-19T11:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was one of those rare, perfect October days we sometimes get here. I finally finished my painting project that I've been working on since July....appling stain to all of my decks, so I celebrated by going for a walk on the beach and just breathed it all in. Scenic Beach State Park is just a few miles from my house and it was just gorgeous! Here are just a few of the photos I took, hope you enjoy looking :)

the Olympics rise from Hood Canal

oyster shells and rocks of every color scatter the beach

Miss Lilli loves the beach!

salmon fishing

water weeps from the mossy hillside

a perfect way to end a perfect fall day!

autumn fog

2011-09-26T19:36:00.000-07:00

The forecast for Saturday was warm and sunny, high 70's. So, I thought I'd head up to one of my favorite hiking spots, Dungeness Spit, which is the longest natural sandspit in the world, and juts out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca with views of Canada, San Juan Islands, Cascade and Olympic Mts. But on this autumn day, the weather was about to turn and fog had enveloped the spit, so I was happy just to sit on the piles of massive driftwood, watch the waves crash the carry the rocks back out to sea and just be.

Oregon coast drama

2011-09-14T18:36:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I ventured down to Eugene, OR to visit my daughter Amber and help her get settled in her new little house. She's just starting grad school at the University of Oregon, with a full fellowship...way to go Amber! We spend the weekend on the coast, which went from dark, fast moving fog to glorious sun....rocky, wild waves to soft, windswept dunes

a nearby nursery with a wall of petunias....gorgeous!

the fog rolling in like a storm

the path to the ocean, the shadows looked like lace on the ground

Spouting Horn and Devil's Churn

the windswept dunes in Florence

rocky coastline and wild waves to rolling windswept dunes.

Wonderful visit

2011-08-21T19:03:00.000-07:00

My dear friend and fellow artist, Megan Halsey was here for a wonderful 3 day visit, all the way from Philadelphia. It was so much fun sharing my new house and my favorite places. We hiked gorgeous beaches, picking up stones, shells and pieces of driftwood.....and the breathtaking Olympic Mountains at Hurricane Ridge. We made it all the way up to Hurricane Hill, and being the city girl she is, I had to assure Megan that she wasn't going to fall off the trail and tumble down the mountain. At 5800 + feet, it's a little different than the skyscrapers in NYC! It all went by too fast, and we were off to sunny Seattle and one last fun thing....a visit to Anthropologie. The only thing missing was our friend Sharyn Sowell, who's off on a Mediterranean cruise, sketching amazing sights throughout Europe along the way.

sea and sky, stones, shells and driftwood

Hurricane Ridge, Olympic Mountains....still patches of snow everywhere

palette of greens of every hue and shade

wildflower meadows

breathtaking views to the north

amazing aqua glacial pools, snow melting in the sun

bellflowers and fields of lupine

indian paintbrush

deer and a friendly marmot along the trail

the hills are alive.......

YAY for Megan....she made it to the top!

off to Seattle on a gorgeous summer day

girls weekend!

2011-08-01T10:52:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't posted in forever! Been so busy with moving and getting set up and settled in the new house. The weather around Seattle has been a continuation of spring....lots of cool, gray, damp days...but every now and then we do see the sun. Last weekend I had a wonderful weekend with the girls, we celebrated my birthday and Amber's also, just a few weeks late. It was an incredibly gorgeous weekend, perfect for visiting the lavender fields and going to the beach.

the birds and the bees

2011-06-07T19:21:00.000-07:00

This has been a great year for birds around here. Goldfinches, which are the Washington state bird, are showing up in places where they haven't been seen in 10 years! Could it be global warming, or just a very late spring? Whatever it is, I've soooo enjoyed see so many feathered friends at my window. I'll be moving in just a few days and hoping these little guys follow me to the new house!

It was fun to watch this guy tug and pull at a spider's web

I call this guy Mr. Fatty - I think he's had way too much sunflower seed :)

Mr. & Mrs. Grosbeak have returned

My chives are gorgeous right now and the bees are buzzing all over!

Central Park

2011-05-24T15:58:00.000-07:00

On our last day in the big city, we walked up to Central Park, and luckily avoided the downpour that came later that day. We hired a couple of pedicabs and our tour guides Omar and Jon guided us through the park, past fountains and pointing out where so many movies were filmed over the years, ending at Strawberry Fields and the Imagine mosaic....

back from New York!

2011-05-24T13:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been back for almost a week now, but have been so busy catching up. Once again, my annual trip to New York for the Surtex show flew by in a flash. It always amazes me how fast those three days go. It was soooo great to catch up with friends I only get to see a few times a year. Inspiration was everywhere and I met with great clients, new and old. Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by!

Thank you Sharyn for planning lunch so that we could all stop, take a break and visit on set-up day

Another great opening night party at Battery Gardens

Alicia Dauber of Licensing Liaison, the best agent an artist could have

Megan Halsey, dear friend and amazing artist

My wonderful friend and neighbor, Sharyn Sowell with her beautiful new collection

of inspirational calligraphy

After the show, we were off to Central Park.....to be continued

Seeds of Friendship

2011-05-03T09:43:00.000-07:00

My wonderful licensing partner, LANG, is featuring my Seeds of Friendship collection this week
at 25% off. You can see all of my great products at lang.com.

A day in the tulips

2011-04-21T13:43:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted a new blog for almost 2 months! I've been soooo busy painting, packing and figuring out how to downsize, having a new house built! So, what do you do when you become overwhelmed? Take a day off and head out to the tulip fields with a good friend! Amazing artist, Sharyn Sowell and I had this little trip planned for over a year and yesterday we finally made it. The fields were ablaze with incredible colors, such inspiration. We went a little crazy with our Nikons, I think between us we took about 800 shots. That's just kinda what happens when two artists who are in total love with nature are let loose in a place like this. Here are just a few of the gorgeous sights....

beautiful Skagit Valley fields

We had to stop an smell every hyacinth we passed

a lonely bulb from last year's field

a brand new variety "New Design"

gorgeous!

Flowers & Friends

2011-02-27T15:53:00.000-08:00

What could be better than a day spent amongst flowers with a good friend? On Friday, my dear friend Sharyn Sowell and I spent the day at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle. Outside it was a frigid snowy day, inside....spring! Inspiration was everywhere and of course I had to stop and smell every single hyacinth we walked past! Here are just a few of the gorgeous sights....

Dreaming of Paradise....

2011-02-08T17:32:00.000-08:00

Along with the bright sun here today came the chilly North wind and I couldn't help but to remember where we were just one month ago...the Kona coast on the gorgeous island of Hawaii....sigh.... My girls and I spent a week there in the warm sun, surrounded by turquoise seas, swaying palms, fresh farmers markets and the most incredible tropical flora.

the incredible farmer's market in Hilo

give me an armful of tropical flowers & I'm in heaven :)

Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens....the most amazing garden I've ever seen!

a fiddlehead on the trail through the rainforest on the way to the bottom of the crater

in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Jenna and Amber having a great time

plumeria...one of my most favorite flowers in the world...can you smell it?

AND....Tahitian gardenia, along the roadside on my walk every morning!

glistening waves and fiery sunsets

Seattle Gift Show signing

2011-02-02T16:50:00.000-08:00

This Sunday, February 6th from 1:00 - 2:00 pm, I'll be signing products from my LANG "Seeds of Friendship" collection at the Seattle Gift Show, with Stack & Company. They're located at the Pacific Market Center, 6100 4th Avenue S, Suite 281. If you're at the show, stop by and say hi!

Thanks to Ned Stack and everyone at the showroom AND all the wonderful people

who came by and chatted. It was so great to share my work with everyone!

AmericasMart - Atlanta

2011-01-20T12:02:00.000-08:00

I just returned from another great show in Atlanta a few days ago, a whirlwind of a trip. Once again, we arrived to chilly temperatures and snow on the ground. The show was so full of energy, with inspiration everywhere! I met with so many wonderful clients and found my products in showrooms on almost every floor! It was so amazing to see my work displayed. One of the best parts of every show is getting together with friends that I don't get to see, except for once or twice a year.

Having a visit with wonderful friends, Leslie Ann Clark and Megan Halsey,

who are both amazing artists!

Again this year I was able to meet Marjolein Bastin, my absolute most favorite

artist in the whole entire world...I was just slightly excited!

One of my new Christmas cards for 2011 from LANG. You can find my

complete line of products at lang.com.

"Flamingo Garden" gift collection from Downeast Concepts

My brand new "Herb Garden" collection from Keller Charles,

who do the most beautiful melamine products in the country.

"Sweet Sunflowers" bath collection from Blonder Home,

which is now available from Macys.com!

A bright frosty day

2010-12-31T13:46:00.000-08:00

Here around Seattle, it's beautiful, sunny and frigid as it usually gets when the clouds clear on winter days. I love warm, balmy days so I usually stay inside on days like this and just enjoy the bright sun from my windows. But, my good friend Sharyn Sowell inspired me today, as she always does, with her gorgeous blog post. I went outside with my cameras and captured the frosty crystals on my herbs, the majestic snowcapped Olympics and the sweet little chickadees in my yard. Such simple things that bring so much beauty to an ordinary day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T15:42:00.000-08:00

The big storm is over here and the snow is still on the ground. It's warmed way up to 29 degrees! We had 60 mph winds here, but never lost power which was somewhat of a miracle. So here it is Thanksgiving and I'm feeling so much gratitude this year. So thankful for my family, especially my beautiful girls, my dear friends and their endless kindness and support, being able to continue doing the work I love so much, my health and so much more. I found this wonderful quote the other day and wanted to share it, along with the November painting from my "Bless This Garden" 2010 Time Factory calendar.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.

It turns what we have into enough, and more.

It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order,

confusion into clarity....

It turns problems into gifts, failures into success,

the unexpected into perfect timing,

and mistakes into important events.

Gratitude makes sense of our past,

brings peace for today and

creates a vision for tomorrow.

- Melodie Beattie

HELLO winter!

2010-11-22T14:10:00.000-08:00

We've been blasted for the last few days with that bitter arctic air blowing down from the north, it seems like winter has arrived overnight. And, this morning, I awoke to a blanket of white and it's still coming down. The birds are everywhere...house finches with their bright red feathers, dark eyed juncos and the spotted towhees...all sharing the sunflower seeds with the little brown squirrel who is always in the feeders. As soon as it slows down, I'll be out taking photos for snowy paintings.

backyard snowy wonderland

love this moss

house finches at my kitchen window

that brown squirrel

the last rose of autumn

Scotti loves sledding, lookout Lilli!

Backyard friends

2010-11-08T18:09:00.000-08:00

So, a few days ago I was walking out to my studio and noticed a little nuthatch nibbling on the sunflower seeds at one of my bird feeders. I quickly dashed to get my camera, and believe it or not, he was still there when I returned. He continued to just sit there, not noticing me, until I got within a few feet and took these amazing photos!

Artist Signing

2010-11-03T13:12:00.000-07:00

I'll be doing my first ever artist signing this Saturday, November 6th at Hearts and Homespun, in downtown Poulsbo (WA) from noon to 3 pm. This wonderful gift shop has been selling country style items for almost 24 years and has carried LANG products since the mid 80's. I've bought my LANG calendars there for years, so to have them carry my own calendars is so exciting. Along with the calendars, "Birds in the Garden" and "Herb Garden" my mugs will also be for sale. If you're in the area, stop by and say hi!

Christmas in October

2010-10-22T13:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I received a very large box from the UPS man. Jenna asked, "Mom, did you order a small child?"...nope, it was my samples from Keller Charles for my brand new collection "Snow Friends". Keller Charles melamine products are some of the best in the country and I'm so thrilled with what they've done with my snowman and chickadees. You can find the entire line of products at Lang.com.

there are trays of all sizes, plates, napkins and tins for those Christmas cookies!

Indian summer days

2010-10-14T12:09:00.000-07:00

Here in the Pacific Northwest, summer goes by all too quickly. It's here for a short time and then gone before you can even get warm. So I cherish these Indian summer days when the sun is warm, the breezes fresh and cool, and the light so gorgeous.

morning rays streaming thru the trees

morning dew like glassy beads stringing a web

fog blanketing Hood Canal

firey red sunflowers

amazing sunsets paint the evening sky