THURSDAY, DecembeR 3-10, 2015

PATRICK FANCHERTHE E

Coloring books aren’t just child’s play anymore. Grownups want a chance to draw between the lines.

For the past decade, mid-valley artist Mike Bergen has been making a name for himself with his landscape paint-ings. Now, the artist has adapted some of his work into a val-ley-themed coloring book, the “Corvallis Coloring Pages.”

“I got into them two or three years ago, before adult coloring books became a hot thing,” Bergen said. “I sold a few at the Philomath Open Studios Tour and the Clothesline Art Sale, that sort of thing.”

Bergen’s first attempt began as one of his many pencil illustrations, but eventually turned into five pictures of familiar mid-valley scenery for people to color. He gave the books away at gallery shows and the studio tours, or when someone bought one of his paintings.

Cindy McNutt-Kaestner, with whom Bergen shared studio space at one of the Philomath art tours, suggested he produce another of the popular coloring books.

“She’s really been the one pushing me on this, because she thinks these are terrific,” Bergen said.

It helped that sales of coloring books intended for adults are gaining popularity. So it seemed like a logical step to do another coloring project.

“If you go into any bookstore now you see bunches of coloring books for adults, but they are almost always just designs or generic stuff. The difference with these is they are for Corvallis,” he said.

So Bergen, who already had most of the drawings com-pleted, adapted them into to an eight-page coloring book.

Pictures in the book include a variety of landmarks, including the Benton County Courthouse, the Whiteside Theatre, Grass Roots Books and Music, the Fall Festival, American Dream Pizza and an aerial view of Oregon State University facilities such as the CH2M Hill Alumni Cen-ter and Reser Stadium.

Bergen said he likes Second Street in downtown Cor-vallis as a subject, because the area features so many interesting things. Places like the Art in the Valley gallery and Old World Deli have also appeared in his work.

If Bergen creates another coloring book in the future he’d said it would probably include 15 or more pictures of Corvallis and surrounding areas, though he isn’t certain if it’s something that will happen.

“I’ll probably continue doing more. We’ll see how popular they are in the stores for Christmas time,” he said.

COLOR ME LOCAL

Local vistas inspire artists to create coloring books

Courtesy Mike Bergen

Feel free to break out your crayons and colored pencils and color this work by Corvallis artist Mike Bergen. It’s part of a series of coloring books for adults featuring local scenes that Bergen has created.

Andy Cripe, The E

Here is an early sketch and a finished painting of a Corvallis scene that Mike Bergen has in his community coloring book.

Andy Cripe, The E

Corvallis artist Mike Bergen has created a community coloring book filled with local scenes. CHECK IT OUT

Mike Bergen’s coloring books are available to purchase at Grass Roots Books and Music, Studio262 and Sibling Revelry, all located in downtown Corvallis. They sell for about $15, Bergen said.

More of Bergen’s artwork can be seen at his website, http://www.mikebergenart.com, facebook.com/mikebergenart or at any Corvallis Art Guild galleries.

PATRICK FANCHERTHE E

When Laurel Thompson and Rachel Urista opened their new art gallery last month, they offered an activity all visitors could enjoy.

“We wanted to highlight something we both have in common — our love of illustra-tion,” Urista said. “We thought it would be fun to share coloring books with the community and have them involved too.”

For November’s Corvallis ArtsWalk, the artists hung up giant, poster-sized pages from Urista’s recently released eight-page coloring book, “Color Quest—Volume 1,” to inspire people to come check out their grand opening.

The pages of animals and nature-inspired drawings avail-able to color were a huge hit with visiting adults and kids.

“It is so great to see people in

here having something to do and not feel self-conscious about it,” Thompson said. “We had some kids come up and that was really cool.”

“I had so much fun see-ing people of all ages pick up a crayon or marker and start coloring. Some people really got into it, and added their own lines, words and shapes,” Urista said.

Last summer, Urista was involved in “Color for Clarity,” an adult coloring book, featuring six women artists from around the country and internationally.

She hopes to have a second volume out this spring with a new set of her illustrations.

Thompson has also seen her illustrations brought to life in a children’s book collaboration with Corvallis author Gregg Kleiner, called “Don’t Paint Our Planet Pink,” which released in October 2014.

Artists invite adults to join ‘Color Quest’

Andy Cripe, The E

Rachel Urista, right, and Laurel Thompson in their downtown Corvallis studio. SEE COLOR ON C4