Almost every Tuesday night for over seven years, the Roaring Fork Drawing Club has gathered artists of all ages and skill levels for a casual encounter at traveling locations throughout the Valley. The club has met at a tattoo parlor, businesses now shuttered, art museums and galleries, venue spaces, a thrift store, fashion show rehearsals, parks, Taco Bell and even aboard the Carbondale Circulator bus (for a few laps before heading to Beer Works).
“It’s a refuge. It’s a place I’ve made so many friends, where I get to draw and play with adults,” said Anjanette Rosas Garcia, an attendee for some four years. “It’s just so wholesome and fulfilling.”
The club was birthed in the fall of 2017. “I needed friends,” said Lindsay Jones, a freelance artist. One day, she visited Sustainable Settings with her neighbor’s daycare and then invited fellow artist Brian Colley to return with her and draw the animals. Colley felt motivated to start the club with Lindsay for social reasons, as well as to have a more regular drawing practice.
“When we started Drawing Club, I hadn’t had an active sketch book in many years,” Colley admitted. He now does a watercolor portrait each week, capturing the setting and a handful of attendees. “There’s always new people that come in and leave,” said Colley. “That kind of community connection is important, especially these days.”
Jones pointed to a 2023 report by Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy declaring an epidemic of loneliness and isolation in the United States. “Loneliness is far more than just a bad feeling — it harms both individual and societal health,” Dr. Murthy wrote. “The mortality impact of being socially disconnected is similar to that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, and even greater than that associated with obesity and physical inactivity.”
“I think of Drawing Club as the great connector,” Colley continued. “There’s not a lot of structure, which I love. It creates the possibility for other connections you never thought possible, people from all walks of life coming together.” The concept is simple: everyone brings their own supplies and works on whatever they choose!
The Roaring Fork Drawing Club has brought together a diverse range of people, spurring and deepening friendships by providing a welcoming, inexpensive place to socialize and explore creativity. Their Instagram account has over 800 posts and nearly 1,500 followers, documenting the group’s weekly output for all to see. It inspired a similar club to form in Gunnison called the Down Valley Draw Club.
Businesses also benefit from the exposure. “I think we’re making a lot of people aware of these cool businesses and helping business owners,” Jones reflected. “We are an asset to the local economy.”
“I was excited when Drawing Club approached me for hosting,” affirmed Leslie Buettner, owner of Botany Houseplant Shop. “It’s a choice I’m happy to make, an easy ‘yes’ for me as a business owner. Something for the community? Yes. Bring it.”
The best way to stay apprised of each week’s location is via Instagram (@rfdrawingclub) or by joining the email list by contacting rfdrawingclub@gmail.com — businesses interested in hosting can reach out through these same channels.
“Don’t be shy, come on out,” Colley encouraged. “You don’t have to be a pro. Don’t be intimated. We’re all figuring it out.”
If drawing is not your thing, there are many groups meeting regularly at local libraries to share passions ranging from writing to knitting and crocheting, ham radio and more. If you feel motivated to start a club of your own, we recommend letting The Sopris Sun know so we can amplify the invitation.