Welcome to the new Pikes Peak Chapter website!

The Pikes Peak Chapter of the Society of Decorative Painters is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Our Chapter was founded in 1978 for the purpose of pursuing the goals of the Society of Decorative Painters on a local level. We strive to educate our members through demonstrations, classes and seminars on the many forms of decorative art.

General meetings are held at least six times annually and are followed by an informative program relating to some form of decorative painting or crafting. We have numerous activities throughout the year in addition to our meetings.

We welcome anyone who is interested in painting and joining in the fun. It is a wonderful opportunity to meet and make some great friends who have
similar interests.

We look forward to meeting you! If you are interested in coming to a meeting or joining our chapter, please contact us here.

We adhere to the Society of Decorative Painters guidelines and you must be a member of the Society of Decorative Painters before you can become a member of our or any other chapter. You may contact the Society of Decorative Painters for more info.

What is Decorative Painting? (This is copied from the Society of Decorative Painter's website.)

Decorative painting is a diverse art form utilizing a variety of techniques and media to decorate functional and non-functional surfaces.

Because of the systematic methods employed, contemporary decorative painting is a highly teachable art form. The patterns or freehand designs allow a high degree of success without academic training or inherent drawing ability. Approached with creativity, discipline and craftsmanship, contemporary decorative painting offers opportunities for artistic self expression and creative satisfaction. The scope of contemporary decorative painting is boundless. Styles and techniques of the past are incorporated into the trends and materials of the present, while developing the decorative art heritage of the future.

Tole painting is the general term historically used to describe decorative painting on tin surfaces, especially in New England, and by the Pennsylvania Germans. Contemporary decorative painting encompasses not only the folk art styles of Sweden, Norway, Germany, Russia, England, and Mexico, but many facets of Early American decorative painting such as stenciling, faux finishing, bronzing, gold leafing, country painting, theorem and graining.

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Our beautiful chapter logo was designed by Margaret Wehking. She was a cherished member and friend in our chapter until her death in 2003. She was a nationally and internationally recognized decorative artist, particularly in the aspect of stroke work, and designs with intricate color and detail. She was a published author and a highly sought after seminar teacher as well as a very gifted fine artist.

Having lived in the Pike National Forest for many years, she implemented the best of scenic Colorado as our logo symbolizes the varied beauty of Colorado from the mountains to the beautiful Columbines, our state flower.