Adults flocking to coloring programs like one in Arlington Heights
Marlene Bowen of Arlington Heights and Joan Schmitt of Mount Prospect retired last year from their roles as eighth-grade teachers at St. Francis de Sales School in Lake Zurich, but they still like to fuel their inner child.
The two were among a sold-out crowd that filled the Hendrickson Room at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library last month for its second edition of "Coloring for Grown-ups." The next session takes place at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec 6, and already 60 people are registered.
"It's the most relaxing, wonderful thing," says Bowen, who also has served as a principal at St. Joseph School in Wilmette and as assistant principal at Our Lady of the Wayside School in Arlington Heights.
Library officials say they like to stay current with their programs and they saw coloring for adults as an activity trending upward.
"We offered it for 50 people the first time in October and it filled the very first day," said Jennifer Czajka, adult programs supervisor. "Tonight, it's sold out (80 people) and we have a waiting list."
Who knew that coloring for adults was a huge trend among booksellers, hobby stores and, yes, library programs?
At Amazon.com, coloring books for adults are among their best-sellers, while Barnes & Noble has devoted entire sections in its stores to the activity.
Alex Perruzzi, vice president of the gift division at the corporate offices of Barnes & Noble in New York, described grown-up coloring as a movement sweeping the country as adults look to work off stress.
"To celebrate the movement, we recently held the Barnes & Noble All-American Art Unwind at all of our stores nationwide," Perruzzi said, "giving customers the chance to experience the joy of adult coloring and its incredible benefits.
"We think the opportunity to experiment with color and explore different illustration styles - and artist supplies - really resonated with customers," he added.
At the Arlington Heights library, patrons selected pages to color from a variety of books, while jazz selections by Miles Davis played in the background. Subjects ranged from Paris scenes, to circus performers, tropical fish and paisleys. Patrons could chose from colored pencils, fine tip markers and chalk to do their coloring, though most brought their own supplies.
Lisa Chengary of Arlington Heights, who minored in art in college, brought a complete artist box, with colored pencils, watercolors and chalk. She gathered with friends for a ladies' night out, she said.
Dennis and Mary Kay Walsh of Arlington Heights came with their adult daughter, Beth, who has Down syndrome. While Dennis used the evening as a way to get back into painting, Beth said she was using her time coloring as a practice session for her day job.
As a mentor at the Hugs & Mugs cafe in Hoffman Estates, a program started by GiGi's Playhouse, she personalizes mugs with artwork. They are then sold to support the shop.
Assistant Program Director Nancy Murray welcomed library patrons and, in her comments, drew on the expertise of psychologist Alice Domar, executive director of the Domar Center for Mind/Body Health in Boston, who reports that while other hobbies might relax you, coloring offers complete absorption.
"It engages both sides of your brain in that it's both creative and tactical," Domar said in an interviewed published in July in Parade Magazine.
"Coloring brings you back to a simpler time," she added. "It's pleasurable, it's a chance to sit and be mindful and, at the end, you get this beautiful result. You have a real sense of accomplishment."