Local artist publishes adult colouring book

Adelle Ellis
Times Reporter

 

Six years ago, at her first zentangle class, Patricia Timmermans couldn’t have guessed that in a few years she would become an accomplished artist and have a published book that would be aptly named “Serenity, Adult Colouring.”
Her book is aptly named because serenity is the exact energy Patricia Timmermans emanates.
“I took my first zentangle class in 2011 with Hope Bridges, it really caught my attention,” said Timmermans. “The drawing techniques that they showed us were small and intricate and detailed, but not difficult. Once I went to a few classes and created a few pieces I realized that I could do it.”
For most people who know Timmermans or have heard her story, this is nothing short of impressive.
Timmermans was diagnosed at a young age with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), which means that the rods and cones of her retina are dying. The condition usually starts with the loss of night vision, which for Timmermans happened when she was about 10 years old, followed by the loss of peripheral vision until it leaves you completely blind.
There is no cure, but there is a lot of research being done.
“Personally I’m very fortunate that it’s been a very slow progression for me,” said Timmermans who is now 60, adding that some people can go completely blind within months of their diagnosis.
Timmermans stated that she has often struggled with sadness at the thought of her condition, but that she doesn’t let it keep her down for long.
“Life is too short,” she said. “I’ve always been interested in art and I have the art and music kind of mind and gift. I’m drawn to it.”
After the zentangle classes and watching countless videos and tutorials on YouTube of how to draw, Timmermans fell in love with drawing and would soon find herself drawing away entire afternoons and not realizing what time it was when she finally looked up from the paper.
“Every new thing I try I tend to think that I only have so long to learn it (because of my eye condition), so I have to give it my all. I only have around five years of sight left; then I won’t be able to draw anymore, so I get seriously into it and just dive in and learn what I can,” said Timmermans, who enjoys creating a variety of images including detail drawings, 3D, animals and nature, and colouring book style based from her original zentangle courses.
After she posted a small detail colouring book style drawing on her Facebook page, Timmermans received overwhelming positive support from family and friends stating they would love to colour the page and that she should make a colouring book for adults.
“The positive responses from friends really got me thinking about making a colouring book,” she noted.
Timmermans took no time in creating 30 different drawings with content ranging from scenes, nature, details and mandalas. She approached a publishing company to create her book. After several meetings and negotiations, it was decided she needed some more images to create a full book.
“I love creating a variety of images. I don’t care how long it takes to create an image I will just work at it,” she said.
“I drew some more drawings and as I got better I would scrap some of the first 30 drawings and add new ones to it,” said Timmermans, who after a year’s time created a beautiful colouring book with 46 unique sketches in it. “I’m really, really pleased with the final product.”
The book was published in November 2016 by Friesen Press and is available in a soft or hard shell copy on Amazon, Indigo and Chapters, Barns and Noble, or directly from Timmermans (contact information is on her website at luv2draw.com), and ranges between $15-$28.
Timmermans will be receiving, at no cost to her, a seeing eye dog and a licence to keep the dog with her wherever she goes, sometime in the first half of this year from Dogs with Wings. To give back to the non-profit organization that will be providing her with a companion and a form of sight, 20 per cent of all proceeds from the purchase of her colouring book, “Serenity, Adult Colouring,” will go directly to the organization.
“The most important reason for making the book and donating and just doing this is to encourage other people who may suffer from the same eye condition or another disability or challenge; to do something that lets you feel accomplished and takes your mind off it. Give back somehow, do something that is a little bigger than your disability because no matter what it is, you’re bigger than it,” said Timmermans, who is already looking at starting a new colouring book but isn’t quite sure what it will look like yet.
Other plans include learning to play music, which she is well on her way to doing as she has received a keyboard this past Christmas and has already learned to read music.
“I want people to know me for who I am. And while my vision loss is a part of me, it does not define me,” she said.