Coloring is no longer just for kids. The calming activity of coloring, particularly in coloring books with intricate images, has become popular with adults as a way to relax, reduce anxiety and express creativity.
During the month of May, the Community Free Library in Holley is holding a coloring contest for adults. People 18 and older can submit as many entries as they like from coloring books or online sources with the artist’s name and contact clearly printed on the back of each submission.
“We have a wide variety of styles and materials used,” library director Sandra Shaw says. Incoming entries currently grace a wall and bulletin boards at the library. “We are the best decorated library around,” she observes.
Shaw says the idea for the contest came to her at about 1 a.m. one morning as the result of a discussion with a member of the library board. The topic of the popularity of coloring books for adults came up while they were speaking. “Why don’t we do a contest?” Shaw thought, and “Coloring your way through the merry month of May” was born.
On June 1, Shaw and two members of the library Board of Trustees will select the top five entries. The winners will then be selected by community members who can vote at the library and on Facebook. The top vote getters through both venues (two winners) will receive the prize of a coloring book. Shaw says materials for the contest are available at the library, or participants can use their own.
Suzette Coleman of Brockport has enjoyed coloring for decades. She says she doesn’t have vivid memories of coloring as a young child, but, “I do remember when I was in fifth grade asking my teacher, Mrs. Johnson, if I could organize a coloring contest for the class. I asked the students to draw and color a design using colored pencils.” Suzette chose the winner and provided the prize of a candy bar.
As an adult, Suzette returned to coloring and drawing while she was pregnant. “As soon as my daughter was old enough to color, it became a major source of enjoyment,” she explains. It was then she discovered the world of coloring books published by Dover Publications and things really took off.
“Dover’s coloring book assortment is astounding,” she says. “They have everything – from Prehistoric Man to Famous Women of the Civil War and Life in a Medieval Castle to Historic Houses of New York State. Suzette has been coloring for 30 years and has collected many Dover coloring books.
Her medium of choice for coloring is colored pencils, she says, especially for small, detailed work, which is her preference. “I can sharpen the pencil points as fine as needed for the work involved. I also have a huge assortment of gel pens that I use as well as ball point pens, markers and even oil pastels. I don’t feel there are any limitations as to what can be used,” Suzette observes.
She explains she is drawn to coloring because of the way it makes her feel. “It’s so relaxing. I become totally absorbed and find myself elsewhere. It’s meditative and an escape to a place where I kind of forget my worries.”
