MAKE QUIRKY FRIENDS WITH SUNNY CARVALHO

San Miguel de Allende - March 28-April 4, 2027

Join mixed media artist Sunny Carvalho for a fun, quirky and colorful mixed media workshop in San Miguel de Allende.

Sunny Carvalho is a mixed media artist living in Pinson, Alabama amid the chaos of too many art supplies. Focusing on whimsical ceramic/epoxy figures, hand-sculpted ceramic pendants, freehand stitched characters and mixed media paintings, her quirky characters have found their way into many of the mixed media magazines and books.

This quote by Sunny’s husband says it all!

Come along on a sculpting adventure in beautiful San Miguel, Mexico! In this workshop, we will learn the basics of working with Apoxie Sculpt Clay. Requiring no kiln or oven, but with very different properties than other air dry clays, this clay has it’s own personality.

In this class in which we will make parts (like sculpting the face and adding elements to the structure) and in a well-timed fashion, we will pull it all together into an expressive figure all your own.

You will gain knowledge and skills that you can take with you to learn to adapt the methods to your own style.

Itinerary

Day 1 - March 28 Sunday

Everyone arrives. We will meet this evening at 7:00 for a welcome fiesta and introductions

Day 2 - March 29 Monday

All breakfasts are served in the dining room. Meet in the studio at 9:30 a.m. Sunny will go over the schedule for the day. We will break for lunch and go on a short walking tour. Back to the studio to create and class will be over around 4:30. Dinner will be provided this evening.

Day 3 - March 30 Tuesday

Breakfast, studio at 9:30, break for lunch prepared by Chef Ana Elena Martinez. Back in the studio working until 4:30. Dinner will be provided.

Day 4 - March 31 Wednesday

Breakfast, studio at 9:30. Work until we leave for the class with Mojiganga master Hermes Arroyo. We will stop to have lunch before joining Hermes and his crew. Dinner is on your own this evening.

Day 5 - April 1 Thursday

You are on your own today………..April Fools! Breakfast, then in the studio at 9:30 for a full day creating. Lunch and dinner will be provided.

Day 6 - April 2 Friday

Breakfast and into the studio by 9:30 for another full day of creating. Lunch and dinner will be provided

Day 7 - April 3 Saturday

Breakfast and then into the studio at 9:30. We will finish our projects then clean up and have our Show ‘N Tell. Lunch is on your own and you have the afternoon free. We will have our final dinner tonight.

Day 8 - April 4 Sunday

Trip is over

This Escape Includes

• 7 nights at Casa de la Noche

• Transportation from/to airport

• Classes with Sunny Carvalho

• Class with Mojiganga master Hermes Arroyo

• Welcome reception and fiesta

• All breakfasts, five lunches and 5 dinners (one lunch and one dinner on your own)

• Visit to markets

• Cooking Demonstration with Chef Ana Elena Martinez

• Free time to explore

• A farewell dinner

Price: $4700, limited to 12 people based on double occupancy, limited single rooms are available for an additional $700.

A $1,000 non-refundable deposit is due upon registration. The balance is due January 15, 2027.

Price does not include airfare to/from Mexico, alcohol, and travel insurance (mandatory).

Accommodations: Casa de la Noche

CDLN is a boutique bed and breakfast located minutes from the center of SMA. Rooms will be assigned to you and transportation is included and coordinated by CDLN. See the video with a surprise guest at the end!

Airport:(BJX) Del Bajio Airport, Leon/Guanajuato which is 1 hour and 15 minutes from SMA. Or Queretaro (QRO). Transportation from/to airport will be coordinated by CDLN (Casa de la Noche).

We will provide

• Wood Base and Spindle

• Glass Pebble or Base

• Metal Piece (lug nut or 3/4 nut)

• Screw

• Watch face

• No-hole black Beads

• Glass Eyes

Artist Supply List

• Apoxie 2 part Sculpt Clay - You can buy it through Dick Blick or Amazon

• Ball Stylus Set and Silcone Sculpting Tools

  Amazon.com: Clatoon 10Pcs Silicone Clay Sculpting Tool, Modeling Dotting Tool & Pottery Craft use for DIY Handicraft, Silicone Brush, Sculpture Pottery, Nail Art

• Optional - Sunny’s favorite sculpting tool by Phillippe Faraut

  7” Clay Modeling Eye Tool - PCF Studios

• Needle tool or awl

• Decorative Elements - a few beads, buttons, paper napkins, whatever you like.

• A few acrylic paints in colors you like. Sunny uses Paper Artsy Fresco Finish in the color chalk plus Golden Fluid Acrylics in Burnt Umber Light, Paynes Gray, Quinacridone Magenta, Titanium White and Pyrrole Red Light.

• Golden High Flow Acrylic paint - Sepia color

• Brushes - Sunny likes the Princeton Snap Series, Filbert size 4, Round sizes 2 and 0

Supplies for the slow stitched band seen in the photo of the figure on the spindle

• Cotton quilt batting (just a small amount - we will work on tiny pieces)

• Tiny pieces of cotton fabric (if you want to bring a small bag, it’s fun to trade)

• Embroidery Needles (sharp)

• Embroidery Floss

• Seed beads (Sunny’s favorite is 8/0) Make sure your needles will go through the beads, and any other beads you like

• Scissors for cutting fabric and a small embroidery scissors (put in checked bag)

• Optional: 4” long beading mat

With an emphasis on the joy of everyday living, Sunny Carvalho’s work reflects the humor and oddity of the unique characters residing in her head as they deal with pets, situations and with each other. She began her mixed media career as an instructor with ArtFest (a groundbreaking retreat near Seattle that launched the careers of many internationally known artists and which had it’s final retreat in 2012) and has taught with Art Is You (previous locations: Petaluma and Benecia, CA, Nashville, Memphis, Minneapolis and Stamford, CT), Art Unraveled (Phoenix) and Art and Soul (Harrisburg, PA) as well as various individual studios across the United States.

DANCING MARIONETTES WITH GEOFFREY GORMAN

May 1-5, 2027

Port Orchard, WA

Join Geoffrey Gorman for a workshop that introduces artists to the rich history of marionettes, from traditional puppetry and carved wooden figures, to contemporary sculptural interpretations.

We will explore how artists and craftspeople have used wood, found materials, and simple mechanisms to bring imagined creatures to life.

Through hands-on demonstrations and experimentation, students will learn the fundamentals of carving, articulation, stringing, and control while developing their own animal marionettes. The workshop honors the traditions of craft and puppetry while encouraging artists to push beyond conventional forms, embrace reclaimed materials, and discover their own expressive language.

By connecting historical processes with contemporary sculpture, artists will gain a deeper appreciation for the origins of these practices and the possibilities of carrying them forward in new and personal directions.

Using unusual techniques developed by Geoffrey to overcome construction challenges, each artist will complete a variety of forms, something they want to create. Artists will be asked to bring some of their own favorite cast-off materials.

This class is perfect for beginners seeking an introduction to creating curious objects as well as intermediate and advanced artists wishing to reach the next level and break out of their comfort zone. Artists need to be familiar with using hand and power tools such as drills, band saws, and sanders.

Itinerary

Day 1, May 1. Finding the Creature

We will meet in the Bellissima Art Studio for introductions and to review the schedule. There will be an introduction to animal anatomy, gesture, and marionette design. Artists will develop sketches and choose materials, then begin constructing the basic body and head. Lunch will be provided and class will end around 4:30 p.m.

Day 2, May 2. Carving and Constructing

Meet in the studio at 9:30 a.m. Today we will explore simple carving techniques, shaping wood, and combining found objects. Artists will establish the character and proportions of their animals. Lunch will be provided, class over at 4:30 p.m.

Day 3, May 3. Building the Moving Body

Meet in the studio at 9:30 a.m. Today you will learn how to create articulated joints, attach legs and other moving parts, and develop the structure that allows the marionette to move. Lunch will be provided, class over at 4:30 p.m.

This Art Escape includes

• Five days instruction by Geoffrey

• Five lunches, one dinner

• Some Art Supplies

• Private Facebook Page

• New art tribe

The cost of this workshop is $1,200. A non-refundable $600 deposit is due upon registering. The remaining $600 is due March 18, 2027

Port Orchard is the site for the workshop. The location is 9 miles north of Gig Harbor, WA which is listed as one of the most desirable cities in the US to visit (or live). It is located south of Seattle, across the Narrows Bridge on Hwy 16.

The Bremerton-Kitsap Airporter stops in Gig Harbor and in Port Orchard.

There are many AirBNBs and B&Bs in the area. A list of accommodations will be provided if requested.

We will provide

• Assorted wood, branches, and reclaimed materials

• Carving knives, rasps, files, and sandpaper

• Hand drills and basic woodworking tools

• Wire, string, cord, and eye screws

• Wood glue and suitable adhesives

• Paint, brushes, and finishing materials

• Pliers, cutters, and small hardware

• Body parts

• Small decorative materials such as feathers, beads, wire and thread

• Scissors, rulers and clamps

• Old tires/inner tubes

Artist Supply List

• Two part Aves Epoxy Clay (optional) to make head or add texture to body parts

• Found objects — old tools, hardware, buttons (studio has a lot), bottle caps, metal scraps, doll parts

• Fabric if you plan on adorning your marionette

• Small pieces of leather

• Thin sheet metal

Day 4, May 4. Strings, Control, and Character

Meet in the studio at 9:30 a.m. Today you will attach strings and control mechanisms, test movement, and refine the animal's personality through pose, balance, and gesture. Lunch and dinner will be provided.

Day 5, May, 5 Finishing and Performance

Meet in the studio at 9:30 a.m. for our last day of creating. Today you will complete surface details, paint or embellish the sculpture, and adjust the controls. We will have a late lunch to allow more time for completing your animal. Then we will clean up and have our Show “N Tell. The workshop ends around 4:30 p.m.

Geoffrey Gorman is a mixed media artist who lives and creates in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He has taught several Bellissima Art Escapes and is returning again for a workshop inspired by his art practice. He has worked as a contemporary furniture designer, gallery dealer, curator, and art consultant before becoming a full-time professional artist.

He shows his work around the United States and has also exhibited in China, South Korea and Canada. Over the years, his unique sculptures have been written about in the New York Post, Southwest Art, American Craft, American Style and Cloth, Paper, Scissors.

Gorman’s fondness for animal subjects and use of found materials comes largely from his upbringing. He had a self-described “Huck Finn” experience of youth. He spent his childhood exploring the barns and woods around old horse farm he lived in outside of Baltimore, Maryland. The menagerie of pets, both domestic and wild, he kept as a child explains his fascination with animals.