 Student work by Kendal Zeilke In the midst of all the stress, confusion and re-grouping that we are doing, I wanted to provide the option of a little distance learning for the grown-up mammas and pappas. I've found that painting is not so much about creating a finished product but more about the relaxing process of creating one. It gives us an opportunity (i.e. excuse) to drink a favorite beverage, listen to music and take some time to learn something. Sometimes, the process is not only refreshing but rejuvenating and beautiful!  What's changing? I've always taught by introducing a lesson or topic, giving specific examples and then giving you the freedom to complete a piece on your own time when it is convenient. Now, with online instruction, I can provide this same format but with the unexpected joy of some enhancements. Now, you can sit down for the lessons, pause the videos and start and re-watch them anytime you want. Each week, we will have a small amount of homework. Students who want to can share their final or in-process pieces in our online forum. If not, you can always get feedback privately by emailing the images to me. This gives me the freedom to give solid, honest and direct feedback. It's like having your own private painting coach!
While I usually have students in my home studio to paint together, I've long wanted to be able to offer classes online for people out of town who have requested it. This odd state of staying at home has forced me to finally make it happen! How will your online classes work?  Each week, I'll create a page on my website full of examples, notes and information. I’ll also post a video(s) of me teaching the content. What I'm most excited about is that I'm creating an online forum to help us stay connected with one another, get feedback as we work through the painting, and hold each other accountable. Hopefully, this will keep us actually getting our paints wet each week ! ; ) I use my talented, artful assistant, Holli, and my daughter, Mia, weekly (and sometimes daily) to get feedback on current projects. It is invaluable to have other eyes on our work!  I’ll also continue to utilize a Pinterest board and add fresh pins weekly that relate to the content we are studying. Even if you are not yet ready to dive into a class, feel free to follow me on Pinterest. What will you cover next? This next 8-week series will cover the main aspects of painting a still-life. We will discuss the following:
What if I don't know watercolors? Though my favorite medium is watercolors and that is what I'll be using in my examples, the art theories and skills taught in this particular series can be applicable to oils and acrylics as well!  What's the cost? This past week’s lesson is a free extra bonus lesson. The cost is $180 for 8 weeks. Once the course is over, you can choose to renew or discontinue the class. In other words, there is no commitment. If interested, you can register here. Still not sure?  It may help to have a look at the this past week's free bonus lesson. It's like tasting a free sample. This class covers the basic art theory of how to compose a still life. *Note: The free class includes videos of me teaching, but does not include videos of me actually painting. Future classes will have both.  I'm looking forward to staying connected with students both old and new in this way. As always, I welcome your feedback on what you'd like to explore.
If you have friends that you'd like to connect with by sharing an online painting class, copy, paste and send them this link to register: http://www.caryndahm.com/classregistration.html -The human spirit is incredible. We long for community and connectedness and when we can't have it, well ... we're going to make a way! Last night someone who loves our family "quarantined us" by putting this sign on our door along with a jar of colorful m&ms. We were so happy to have the treat after just having ate pizza and watching a movie. Tre has been putting a hurtin on that candy! I admit I'm doing my part to put on the "quarantine fifteen"  In an effort to further spread the joy, I scanned the sign, cleaned it up, purchased a corona virus graphic (so that it's copyright free) and made a printable version here for download.  You can also click on the image above to download the printable .pdf file.
A new window should open up. Have fun spreading the joy to those you love and making the best of a tough situation! - Caryn  Hello, my friends. I hope that everyone is managing OK. The craft that I'm sharing today is one of Tre's, my youngest son's, past favorites from Camp Create. I chose to share this project today because of its simplicity : ) It totally reminds me of our generation's little Shrinky Dinks!  I'm finding more each day that it is essential to our mental health to step away from social media and the news, unplug and just Breath. On one level, worry can become paramount during these times, but in other ways, being home, simplifying and spending more time outside has been therapeutic. In that spirit, I'm planning on giving myself a word to focus on every couple of days.  The word that comes to my mind this morning is ... simplify. Trying to stay focused on the people and things that are at hand in front of me, and leave the rest to do another time. When my little (but bold) grandma was alive, we used to have coffee every Friday morning. On days when I felt overwhelmed or tired, she used to tell me to ... "Only do what is necessary, the rest can wait!" I'm embracing these words of wisdom today. Hope you can spend time creating with your kids, taking a hot bath, cooking a healthy meal, getting outside, drinking hot tea, gardening, walking dogs, reading good books, resting and SIMPLY breathing and being.    Here are the details for today's super fun but simple project: Supplies:
 The result using lots of color, covering the cups  Helpful tip: While these do look stunning piled in a bowl near a sunny window, at Camp Create we made mobiles out of them. To make colorful mobiles, just punch a hold near the top of the cups using a hole punch before baking them. After they have melted and cooled, the kids can thread string into their creations and tie to make colorful mobiles. To hang, we tied the fishing string to criss-crossed popsicle sticks. You can use whatever you have on hand, but a pipe cleaner worked great to hold the 2 sticks together.  Image courtesy of Artsy.net This project idea was inspired by a world famous glass artist named, Dale Chihuly. Miss Holli introduced me to his work. She grew up in Seattle, WA, where Chihuly has his roots. His art is actually on permanent display in Florida's city of St. Petersburg. When things go back to normal, consider scheduling a day trip to see his art. It is something to behold! Here is the museum's website. Would love to see what you create with your kids during this down time. Tag me on Facebook or via Instagram using #campcreateartcamp. What inspirational verses, words or thoughts are you focussing on today? I Corinthians 14:33 / For God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.   Hello my friends. Well today I'm feeling a little brighter about this stay-at -home thing then I was yesterday. At the Dahm house, we are getting dirty by digging into some much needed yard work. Feels good to get these long avoided projects tackled and under our belts. Today's craft is one that is simple and happily it's time consuming for the kids. What I love about this art piece is that you can have the children create the project to be in the colors of their room or perhaps even your kitchen color palette. These frame up nicely once completely dried!   Supplies:
Process:
 Tip: A nice twist on this project is just to let the kids tear paper or newspaper and collage it together on card stock. Then they can paint the pieces with colorful watercolor paint.
Here's to keeping those little hands and hearts busy creating today. FYI: Miss Holli and I are currently planning this summer's Camp Create projects. If you want to sign your child up, you can reserve your spot now and then make the payment a week before camp starts.    As I'm thinking today about the toughest part of being quarantined as a mom, to me it is the fact that you want to keep your kiddos active (and off of electronics) but you also want to keep yourself sane at the same time. With that in mind, Miss Holli and I want to provide for you a few of our favorite (and easiest) projects from past years at Camp Create's art camp. We tried to find a few crafts that the kids enjoyed the most, but could still easily be replicated using supplies that you most likely have on hand.  We will be sending out a handful of ideas each week that you can pull from. The idea is to set aside some time for you to keep their little hands busy and for you to have a chance to unwind. All of these suggestions are tried and true projects. Some we created ourselves and some we found online, but all have been used at past Summer art camps with much success! Of course feel free to modify, simplify or add what you think will work best for your kids.  Today's Project Idea: Bubble Gum Machine using Nerf Bullets  Supply List:
Process:
Bonus fun idea* We had a bubble gum machine in the room and had the kids guess the number of gumballs. You could put something round in a bowl and have them guess the number. Nerf bullets could work and the closest guess wins a prize.  If you try any of these that we send out, we'd love to see pics. Feel free to tag Miss Holli or I on Facebook or via Instagram using #campcreateartcamp  For inspiration, here is the gumball machine I painted many moons ago that inspired this project. The kids can look at it for a visual when drawing the machine's base and cap. We would love to hear what your child's favorite project has been at Camp Create. If you would like us to include instructions for that specific project, e-mail us or comment below.
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Caryn DahmWhether I am painting custom artwork, creating a water colored logo for a client, or teaching art students, I hope to refresh and inspire others with my work. Read more ... 
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