CASSOPOLIS — With spring just around the corner, the Cass County Council on Aging is looking to transport visitors to a warmer climate by having them paint a serene scene of a lighthouse against a warm sunset, which will be the subject of an upcoming class.

The COA will host a “Color Your World” watercolor class from noon to 3 p.m. Tuesdays, March 12 and May 14 at the Lowe Center, 60525 Decatur Road, Cassopolis. A class will also be hosted at the Dowagiac Front Street Crossing location, 227 S. Front St., Dowagiac, from noon to 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 9. The cost of the class is $18 to attend, which includes all supplies. Preregistration is required by calling (269) 445-8110.

The classes will be taught by Roy, 79, and Peggy Hruska, 73, of South Bend. The couple said that the class would be a fun way for area seniors to stretch their creative muscles in a fun and new way.

“The class is a lot of fun and very rewarding,” Peggy said. “It’s so much fun to see people who have never done watercolor before go, ‘oh my gosh, I painted a picture, and I like it.’ There is a real sense of accomplishment in doing something new and finishing something in three hours.”

Roy himself was drawn to watercolors when he started his retirement from teaching. Though he did not plan on making watercolors his hobby — he initially wanted to go into wood carving — he said that watercolors drew him in and quickly became his medium of choice.

“With watercolors, you can make a mistake, and it’s OK,” he said. “It’s a different way of painting that is just a lot of fun.”

The Hruskas have been teaching watercolor classes for more than a decade and have been visiting the COA for several years. They said they keep coming back because they enjoy the atmosphere and they believe it is important to provide classes for area seniors.

“[Seniors] need to get out of the house because when you are retired, you do have aches and pains and it is good to be with other people,” Peggy said. “I think it is good for seniors to be out with other people, because it is encouraging, and it is nice to have fun things to do.”

Roy and Peggy said they would encourage anyone — even those who are not naturally artistically inclined — to give their watercolor class a chance.

“It’s good for your psyche,” Roy said. “There is something really special about watercolor.”