Riverton woman creates stress relieving coloring books

WORLAND – Riverton resident C. Judie Williams has created two coloring books depicting Wyoming Wildlife. She created the coloring books as a way to help with stress during a time in her life here she was suffering with chronic pain and a prolonged illness.

"When I was a young person I was in a lot of motor vehicle accidents and in 2008 they operated on my back. It's been an accumulation of a lot of different things after that. I had a heart attack because of a blood clot in my heart and learned that I had had three strokes as well," artist, C. Judie Williams said. "In August I had a stage 4 GI bleed and almost died again," she added.

Throughout this she found coloring a great way to relieve stress and help her focus for meditation and prayer.

"Whenever you start coloring, and when you focus on which colors to pick and the technique, it kind of lets you relax and you are not thinking about the other things. I refer to it as the monkeys jumping on a tree. It quiets it all down to where it is just you, you get engrossed by it," Williams said.

While coloring Williams was able to focus more on prayer. "I was seeking spiritual guidance. I feel that God has worked miracles in my life because by all rights I should not be here (alive)," she said. "Instead of going through the motions of being a Christian, I have become an actively seeking Christian and my whole life has changed for the better because of that," she added.

After a while Williams ran out of things to color, so she started to draw her own pictures. At the same time she was also trying to figure out what to get her husband for Christmas.

"The coloring books came about, besides the desire to color, for my husband. My husband has been so supportive and wonderful and most men would have left me a long time ago. I wanted to get him something special for Christmas, which I paid for. After that it all come together really quick, I drew the first picture in September and the coloring books were published in November."

Her adult coloring book is titled "Wonderful Wild Wyoming, Entangled to Detangle: Color, Pray and Meditate." According to the press release, it "features designs that are entangled to aide in stress reduction, increase a meditative state as well as clearing one's mind for prayer. The book features many animals; buffalo, elk, deer, moose, wolves, birds of prey, big horn sheep, antelope and even a rock chuck."

Her coloring book designed for all ages is titled "Wonderful Wild Wyoming, Classic Coloring Book." It contains similar drawings without the entangle and detangle aspect. Wyoming wildlife is also the main focus of this coloring book.

Williams is working on two more coloring books, to be released this month. The coloring books will feature elements of the old west. "They will have cowboys, cowgirls, bronc riders and native Americans," she said.

She is also planning on going a different direction and write a children's book about her cat Max. "The book will tell about Max who we rescued from a shelter. I have a story about him on my website, but that's not for children," she said.

Williams's books can be purchased on Amazon or through her website dancinginthelight.co.