The Silly Class is ALMOST in Session!

It’s not too late to sign up!

For more details, go here.

Okay, back to the drawing board (and for the rest of you, you’ll get glimpses here and there, so don’t worry!)

Artfest Photos: Linn to the Rescue!

Artfest attendee Linn Woodard saw my pitiful post and promptly sent me these photos to share with you. Yay, Linn!

Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend, WA (where Artfest, Play and Journalfest retreats are held each year).

The first day: “Your Inner Dr. Suess.”

Demo-ing…

The crowd at the Iron Chef/Artist Challenge Thursday night!

There’s me on the left  — we had 45 minutes to create something! Next to me sat the lovely Michele Allen. This was her first year teaching at Artfest, and what a painter she is! It was slightly intimidating sitting next to her!

Class samples from the Dr. Suess class. This beautiful piece by Cori Dantini.

This one’s by Kimberly Martin.

Jann Sage.

Sandra Muscat‘s creatures on wood from Friday’s class.

A clearer photo of the lion grouping…

Linn to the rescue! (Which is so fitting, since her main project was a book of Animal Superheroes (see the rabbit, below). THANK YOU!

I am a bad photographer

I’m sorry! I have only the above photo(s) from Artfest to share with you, and they’re BLURRY!!! I didn’t even think to take out my camera during classes. I also didn’t think to take it out during other activities. I am a bad photographer.

But aren’t these a great group of lions?!! They came out of the Drawing + Collage class on Saturday…

Thank you to all of the wonderful women (+ one man) who took my classes and helped make this my best Artfest ever! (My bones ache today, but I had such a wonderful time working with all of you.)

And thank you also to the 100+ Silliers who have signed up for the online workshop! Onward and upward!

Silly Lessons

Hello! I’m  off to Artfest for the rest of the week…. I hope you all have a great week, and if you haven’t signed up for the Online Silliness Class yet, I hope you’ll SERIOUSLY consider it!!!

(Because around here, we’re all about being both silly AND serious!)

Online Class: Starts April 1st!!!

NOTE: The-Art-of-Silliness Two online workshop will take place September 15-October 15… registration will open August 15… it will get it’s own post very soon, but in the meantime you can read about the first class here! (And you don’t have to have taken the first class to participate in the Silliness 2…)

The Art of Silliness: Daily Activity Sheets for Adults

An Online Workshop with Carla Sonheim • April 1-30, 2010

Hello!

People have asked me periodically if I am going to do an online workshop. So far, and until last night, my answer was “not now.” If I was going to go the online route, I wanted the offering to be unique and offer something new and different, something that wasn’t already out there, and something that was uniquely “me.” Until now the idea for an online class eluded me.

But last night I got an idea…. Activity Sheets! Handouts! Worksheets! (Do you remember the workbooks we used to get as kids? Remember how fun they were?)

As a workshop teacher, my goal is to help adult students recover a more child-like approach to creating. To loosen up… shed those fears, and just let the joy of creating be the primary focus. That’s what this workshop will be about.

Here’s the scoop:

• Every day I will create an Activity Sheet just for you. Worksheets may include one (or ten) of the following: drawing exercises (can’t draw? YES YOU CAN!), journaling prompts, a poem to illustrate, writing exercises, more drawing games, collage prompts, arty puzzles, scribbling assignments… (just to name a few). FUN!

• Each day you will receive an email from me with a url link to the new pdf handout, which you can download, print, and complete!

* The email will also include quotes, stories, and knock-knock jokes. (HAHA)

• 30 days, 30 handouts. At the end of the class you can bind them all together for your very own Silliness Workbook!

• They will be created daily as the month goes on… in other words, this course is not preplanned down to the finest detail. It’s more of an organic approach — kind of like being a kid can be!

• Our goal: to get you to just PLAY, just 10 minutes a day, with pen and paper, thoughts and images. (You will be surprised how a shot of silliness like this will positively inform the other goings-on in your day, including your regular artwork.)

• Every handout will have an “Extra Credit” section, in case you want to spend MORE than 10 minutes that day creating like a kid.

• Speaking of kids… this is a perfect class to do together with your children!! Each household can download as many sheets as they like.

• A blog dedicated to the class will be created and administered throughout the month and will be the place for you to post comments, questions, and/or links to your finished Activity Pages.

• The 30 handouts will be up and available for download until June 30^th,, if for some reason you need to miss a day (or a couple of weeks).

• I promise to make it fun. (Do you want to join me?)

Cost: $25

April 1-30, 2010

Registration is now closed.

Next Silly Class: Fall 2010

Registration opens August 2010

THANKS TO EVERYONE!!!!!!

A note on the timing:

Yes, April is right around the corner.

You: Yee gads, Carla, don’t you think you could have gotten more students if you had taken more time to market it?

Carla: Yes, but I have the idea NOW. I have to do it NOW!!!!!!!

PS… you can sign up any time during the month of April, and can download and catch up at your own pace.

THANK YOU!!!

I have funny kids

I have funny kids. Wes (14), you get to hear about more often here because he lives with me. But Christer (22, pictured above with his wife, Christi, and his mother, Carla [me!], rating the floats of the 4th of July Parade in Salida, CO a few years ago) you might not know.

Well no more. Below are some of Christer’s recent Facebook musings.

Christer Sonheim is easily satisfied with the very best.

Christer Sonheim is the lesser of 2 evils.

Christer Sonheim wonders whose cruel idea was it for the word “Lisp” to have an “s” in it?

Christer Sonheim is in shape. Round is a shape.

Christer Sonheim is an excellent man: he has no enemies and none of his friends like him.

Christer Sonheim so appreciates your point of view that he almost regrets dismissing it.

Christer Sonheim ‘s computer beat him at chess, but he sure beat it at kickboxing.

Christer Sonheim is wondering why he bothers to buy a meal when he only rents it for a few hours.

Christer Sonheim is always getting the fuzzy end of the lollipop.

And don’t miss his teacher website — “push” the dinosaur!!)

I just had the best grilled cheese sandwich of my life.

It was at the Grand Central Bakery & Cafe in Pioneer Square, downtown Seattle. Sooooooo good!!!

Art & Soul Las Vegas Pics… Finally!

During the Junk Mail Artist Book class in Las Vegas last month, my friend Karine Swenson came in and took some photos. Thanks Karine!!

It was such a fun class!

Glenny of Art & Soul Retreats has announced the dates for next years’ Las Vegas event… Feb. 27 – Mar 1, 2011. I hope to be there!!

Countdown to Artfest 2010

I’m buckling down this week to finish my prep for my Artfest classes… here’s the handout cover for the Creatures on Wood class!

Conversation with Wes Last Night

Mom (Me, Carla, age 46): Why don’t you call __________?

Wes (14): No.

Mom: Why not?

Wes: You wouldn’t understand.

Mom: Try me.

Wes: It would be like trying to explain space travel to a cave man.

Mom: No it wouldn’t! I speak Teenage!

Wes: One, you spoke Teenage 30 years ago. Two, you spoke Teenage Girl.

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Next post: Wes’s naked baby photos!!!