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What do countdown calendars, a trout and classes have in common?

5/26/2020

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Central Florida Art Classes, Painting a Trout
What a past couple of weeks it has been. We went from our daughter's graduation party to the joy of art camp to a family vacation in Colorado. I've spent the last couple of weeks getting caught up on housework and just catching my breath.

Now that my head is back above water, I've bobbed back down into painting an underwater scene. Inspired by my boys fly fishing in Colorado, I decided to learn about and paint what they caught ... a brown trout. We Florida folks are much more acquainted with bass and blue gill, but the running streams of the mountains had such a beautiful allure to them. This trip, I decided not to pack my paints (which is unusual for me). Normally, I enjoy painting as part of a relaxing vacation experience, but I think it was part exhaustion and part just wanting to focus on family time that lead me to leave them at home. Even though I didn't paint or draw a thing, my head was swimming with all of the inspiration we saw. The mountains and fir trees, the deer, moose and cliffs. Simply stunning!

Catching a Brown Trout in Colorado  then painting it
Brown Trout Watercolor Painting
Watercolor of a brown Trout by Artist Caryn DahmFamily friends we vacationed with in Colorado
My husband, Daniel and I, find that the anticipation of a vacation can be just as exhilarating as the event itself. Most years, our family makes a little countdown calendar when we are about a month away from a vacation. We sit around the table with Crayola scented or Mr. Sketch smelly markers and each of us draws a numbered page to be torn off. They look a mess and sometimes a page is as simple as the decorated day's number, but it's fun making the countdown calendar and throwing the sheets away each day in anticipation of the vacation.

Brown trout watercolor by Caryn Dahm

Just as anticipating vacation is a thrill,
the process of planning and exploring a painting is as eventful as the final piece.

Learning to paint has been such a treasure, and I love to share the joy of it through instruction. It is not enough to just show the outcome. We learn so much through the process pics. In fact, this is a wonderful movement that I fully support and embrace. Entire Instagram hashtags are dedicated to it. Check out #doitfortheprocess, and #showyourwork after you follow #caryndahm : ) .
line drawing of brown trout
Line drawing of brown trout
demo of painting a trout
Using saran wrap for the background
painting a trout
Using rock salt to create texture
All of this processing has me thinking about what my classes will look like for the fall. Through much prayer and thought, I've decided to embrace video chat technology for at least the next 8 weeks. Rather than, typing out instructions and pre-recording video clips, I'll be teaching via Zoom. This will give us the consistency of meeting each week and allow students to ask questions and interact while I paint. You'll have the option of painting along or simply sipping something, chatting with us and watching me demonstrate.

Being a part of weekly art classes and online forums serves multiple purposes:
  • Gives you the gift of time and mental space set aside to create.
  • Gets us back in community with one another.
  • Inspires you to work more on your creative pursuits (whatever they are.)
  • Refreshes you mentally and spiritually.
  • Provides accountability (because it is so easy to prioritize other things.)
  • Helps me to learn and practice as I teach.
  • Provides feedback on our in-process drawings and paintings.
    (i.e. something is wrong, but I can't tell what it is : )

Be refreshed & inspired while we listen to music, paint, chat and learn together.


While I prefer to teach from my home studio, the beauty in this is you don’t have to pack up art supplies and can sip whatever you want from the comfort of your own home. 

I've also loved incorporating a class FaceBook group! It made for a simple place to post drawings and get in - process art pics for feedback. It is fun to see other people's process pics because sometimes the best parts of life are happening in the anticipation, in the waiting and in the unexpected things that happen throughout the process.

You can read about the upcoming class start dates, times and pricing here.

Get ready to safely set a little time aside for yourself to enjoy quality teaching & demonstrations.

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    Culinary art, Caryn Dahm

    Caryn Dahm

    Whether 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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  • Art Collections
    • Culinary Art
    • Around Town
    • Water's Edge
  • Live Painting
  • Custom Work
    • Custom Paintings
    • Large Canvas
    • Logo & Branding >
      • Collaborative process
    • Personal Portait Illustration
  • Upcoming Events
  • About Caryn
    • FAQ
    • Services
    • Blog
    • Contact
  • Classes
    • Open Studio and Classes
    • Weekend Workshops
    • ArtCamp
    • Private Paint Parties
  • Press
    • Awards and Accolades