Just before the pandemic hit, foot surgery sidelined a local photographer that was looking for ways to occupy her time and calm her mind through the healing process.
Vivian Martin decided a colouring book might be just the therapeutic respite she needed to give her the peace she needed.
“I was addicted to these things,” Martin recalled about her discovery of adult colouring books. “Why am I so addicted to colouring books?”
As she was thinking about that a great idea started to tumble around in her brain, as these things sometimes do.
Why not use her own photographs of local iconic images to create 24-page colouring books?
And so In Colour, Around Prince George Book 1 and 2 became a reality.
“In 2019 when the world was shut down because of COVID-19 I decided to drive around Prince George and with not a soul or a car on any streets, basically standing in the middle of any street I wanted to, I took pictures of iconic, historic and interesting sites and buildings - took pictures of them all and came home and proceeded to draw them,” Martin said.
But she didn’t stop there.
To add to the experience, Martin researched details of each subject and there’s a little write up about each iconic image from the Terry Fox statue, to the Two Rivers Gallery, the Bridget Moran statue to the Knox United Church bell.
“When I’m colouring I want to know something about what I’m colouring so I thought it was important to give something more, especially if it’s going to be about Prince George,” Martin said.
There is a third book out now that offers a compilation of images to create one impactful image on each page that some might think are a bit unexpected, with plenty of opportunity to colour in the blank parts.
“So why don’t I make those images into a colouring book, too?” Martin said. “And that one is called Altered Reality.”
It features well-known images from across B.C., using her original photography.
There’s more coming too. Colouring Book number four will feature cars in interesting surroundings.
For more information visit her In Colour Facebook page
For more about her photography visit www.vivian-martin.artistwebsites.com
Her colouring books are available for $20 each in nine different locations including Studio 2880, Two Rivers Gallery, the Railway Museum Gift Shop, and the UNBC book store or directly from Martin by emailing incolourvivianmartin@gmail.com
