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Adult coloring books, classes becoming a fad

By Harry Funk staff Writer hfunk@thealmanac.Net 3 min read
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Watchers of “The Wizard of Oz” still get a thrill when sepia-toned Dorothy opens the door to a world of Technicolor.

It’s kind of like that for Ken Simpson when he opens a book of black-and-white illustrations based on George R.R. Martin’s “Game of Thrones.”

Harry Funk / The Almanac

Peg Bittner spends a considerable amount of time using markers to bring vivid color to abstract designs.

“When you get something like that, it doesn’t look like anything,” he said. “Then you start putting colors in, and everything changes.”

Although he’s not particularly familiar with Martin’s series of novels that inspired the TV show on HBO, Simpson enjoys using a variety of colored pencils to add life to the fanciful characters and landscapes of the fictional Seven Kingdoms.

On Wednesdays, he and his wife, Joyce, join folks with a similar interest for “Coloring, Coffee and Classics” at Peters Township Public Library. From 9:15 to 10:30 a.m. each week, coloring enthusiasts ages 18 and older are invited to drop in, have a complimentary cup of coffee and join in what participants find to be an especially relaxing and socially enlightening activity.

The group’s founder is Martha Fecher, who participated in a similar activity in the state of Indiana before she moved east. She started volunteering at the library and talked about the concept with director Myra Oleynik, who liked the idea of bringing it to Peters.

“I needed to meet people, and this is a very good way,” Fecher said. “I think there were two, maybe who knew each other before they started. They came in one by one. Now we’re very close.”

Harry Funk / The Almanac

Martha Fecher’s work is on the inspirational side.

Janice Yost said that after she retired, she also wanted to get to know some other folks.

“I just happened to see this on their website, and I thought, well, I don’t know what it’s like, but I’ll show up,” she recalled. “And I’ll tell you, now we’re all really close friends.”

Conversation about all kinds of topics abounds as participants use pencils and markers – occasionally crayons, too – in adding flourishes to designs that vary from the abstract to intricately detailed people, places and things.

“It’s like, you don’t have to Google anymore,” Yost said. “You come to coloring and say, ‘Hey, have you heard about this?’ And everybody knows something.”

The group often receives donations of adult coloring books, and sometimes participants use other materials. Arlene Popko, for example, has been working with small greeting-type cards.

“A lot of them have Biblical references, and they’re inspirational,” she said, noting that she likes to hand them out wherever she goes. “You can take them anywhere. I’ve taken them on vacation to the Caribbean and the Panama Canal and all kinds of places.”

Hey, this is relaxing! (Photo by Martha Fecher)

An award-winning artist, Popko is another one who enjoys the camaraderie of “Coloring, Coffee and Classics.”

“I learn a lot here,” she explained. “One week, I asked, ‘Does anybody know a podiatrist?’ I got two references.”

As for the Simpsons, Joyce started attending about a year and a half ago and eventually encouraged her husband to take part.

“I’ve always had artwork in my life,” she said. “I used to teach some painting classes and kind of retired from doing that. So I just wanted to keep involved with doing something artistic.”

She also enjoys coloring “Game of Thrones” scenes, but her work is not replicating that of her husband.

“Everybody sees things a different way,” she explained. “Sometimes we’ll color the same picture, and it doesn’t look anything the same.”

Harry Funk / The Almanac

Arlene Popko likes to hand out the cards she colors to brighten people’s days.

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