Wednesday, August 19, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
9
Folks in Sisters Country discover joy of coloring
By Diane goble
Correspondent
This summer’s hottest
trend, in arts and crafts at
least, is coloring books.
These are not your children’s
coloring books. These are
highly detailed, intricate,
delicate, often whimsical
designs that need to be stud-
ied and planned out before
colors are applied. There
could be faces or creatures
hidden within the design,
color schemes that disap-
pear and reappear in other
places.
This is the joy of coloring.
The creativity comes from
the color selection and the
theme throughout the piece.
It’s not paint-by-numbers;
the artist decides the color
scheme and chooses the
medium. You can use cray-
ons, markers, gel pens, col-
ored pencils or paint with
a fine brush. You can add
dimension by using multiple
mediums.
You can find designs
online and print them out
so you can give this grown-
up coloring a try. If you
decide you like it, there
are pads of designs avail-
able on fine art papers. The
designs may be paisleys,
fractals, botanicals, animals,
enchanted forests, fantasy
creatures, or mandalas. Many
of these will be suitable for
framing.
Mandalas are usually col-
orful circular designs with
a center focal point used
by some Eastern religions
to calm the mind, align the
body’s energy centers, restore
harmony between mind, body
and spirit, and encourage
feelings of peace and love.
The act of drawing the
mandala, adding the colors,
and sitting quietly staring at
the center of your mandala is
a mediation practice. If you
feel anxious or upset, star-
ing at the picture while tak-
ing a few slow, deep breaths
can calm you down. Hang it
near your workstation where
you can glance at it during
your crazy-busy day to return
you to a peaceful state of
relaxation.
In Sisters, The Paper Place
has a few basic books, as
does Paulina Springs Books.
Alpenhimmel has a big selec-
tion. They also carry a good
variety of pens, brushes and
paints, and offer classes to
get you started. The Pony
Express has a wide selec-
tion of pens and markers.
The two businesses try not
to overlap, so check out both
stores.
Many other hobbies
can be relaxing, but col-
oring involves complete
absorption.
“It’s both tactical and cre-
ative, engaging both sides of
the brain,” says Alice Domar,
PhD, executive director of
the Domar Center for Mind/
Body Health in Boston.
Some hobbies allow your
mind to wander or you can
watch TV while doing them,
but coloring, Domar says,
“really requires you to be in
the moment.”
She recommends it to
people dealing with a lot of
stress and says those who
are disabled or in chronic
pain can find benefit from
this activity. It can also be a
group activity where people
get together to talk, color,
and share their lives with one
another.
Too much stress is likely
the reason this grown-
up coloring book idea
has been trending. It’s an
easy, pleasant, rewarding
stress-management tech-
nique for busy people who
use technology all day
long. A study published
in the Journal of Internal
Medicine (Jan. 2015) found
that people who sit for long
periods have an increased
risk for diabetes, heart dis-
ease, cancer and shorter
life spans, even if they also
exercise.
They recommend tak-
ing more frequent breaks —
stand up, walk around, do a
few laps around the office or
your living room; do some-
thing else for five minutes
every hour.
Leave your coloring book
open and gel pens out so
when you walk by you notice
them and stop for a few
minutes to apply one color
wherever it needs to be. Do
it standing, not sitting. You’ll
return to your tasks relaxed
with a fresh perspective and
renewed energy.
photo by diane Goble
Adult coloring books are catching on.
Champion...
NEW TH
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ugust 22
6:30 p.m.
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$18 Children
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photo provided
ryan hudson of sisters continued to shine in competition in
the 2015 World Masters Cup in Dallas. hudson won gold in the
35-39 age group. he competed in the 2015 u.s. senior National
Championships and placed top 20 overall in the country.