‘Paint-Out’ Partners : Watercolor societies hold gatherings to offer members companionship and trips to bucolic settings.

At first, the idea of a “watercolor paint-out” sounded like some outdoor ritual involving water-soluble dyes, jet-pack spray guns and a group of adolescents. But 81-year-old Ventura artist John Dunn set me straight.

Dunn, a retired television animator, is one of about 165 members of the Gold Coast Watercolor Society, established nearly two years ago to promote interest and excellence in the delicate art of watercolor painting.

The frenzied chase-and-spray encounters I imagined are actually delightful trips to bucolic settings, where members paint in companionable groups of a dozen or more.

“I like to paint outside because I like to be with people,” said Dunn, who taught animation in the 1970s at Simon Frazier University in Vancouver. In 1965, he helped create five of the original Saturday morning Beatles cartoon shows and for several years during the 1930s and ‘40s was an animator at Walt Disney Studios. It was at Disney that he met fellow artist and wife, Elaine, while working on films that included “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”

After retirement, Dunn returned to his favorite medium of watercolor. He breaks slightly with traditional subjects of land spaces and buildings by putting people in many of his paintings. He also specializes in colorful Koi fish.

But not all of the group’s members are professional artists. “We welcome painters of all ages and skill levels,” said Sally Miller, a senior who organizes the monthly paint-outs as activities director and also is one of the society’s eight founding members.

“Judging from the people who attend the paint-outs, I’d estimate 50 percent are seniors,” she said.

Many members of the society adhere strictly to the rules of the American Watercolor Society by working in transparent, opaque or mixed-media water color. In mixed media, Miller explained, an artist may employ limited use of pastels or pencils to create a watercolor painting.

The society also has many members who belong to another group, called the Plein Aire Painters, which permits members to sketch and paint in acrylics and oils. Unlike the Gold Coast group, Plein Aire painters do not hold exhibitions. Their paint-outs are every Tuesday morning at various locations throughout Ventura County, Malibu and Santa Barbara. People of all ages and artistic levels are welcome.

* A new intergenerational arts program offered by the Ventura Parks and Recreation Department for preschool children and senior citizens will allow both groups to benefit from the special qualities each generation has to offer. “Intergenerational Creative Arts” uses music, art, storytelling and dance to form special bonds between children, ages 3-5, and seniors each Wednesday from 10 to 11 a.m. The program runs from Sept. 23 to Oct. 28 at Ventura Avenue Adult/Senior Center, 550 N. Ventura Ave. Registration is $30 per participant. For details, call (805) 644-6542. Children or seniors with special needs may receive assistance by calling (805) 658-4726.

* Healing old wounds, celebrating your life and leaving a legacy for your family is what Life Writing, an eight-week course at the Goebel Senior Adult Center, is designed to do. The classes, which meet every Wednesday from 2 to 4 p.m. from Sept. 23 to Nov. 11 will help you record the unique story of your life. The fee is $33 per person. Late walk-in registration will be held at the center through Friday, Sept. 18, at 1385 E. Janss Road in Thousand Oaks. For more information, call (805) 497-1639.

* The fourth annual Senior Ball, to honor the senior citizens of Ventura, will be held in the atrium of Ventura City Hall, 501 Poli St., on Saturday, Sept. 19, from 8 to 11 p.m. A five-piece band will play music for the ballroom dance, which is open to adults, ages 18 and older. Admission is $5 per person and space is limited. For reservations, call 648-3035 or 643-2653.

* FYI

The Gold Coast Watercolor Society’s “paint-outs” are held alternately on the last Saturday and Tuesday of the month at 9 a.m. in locations throughout Ventura County. Annual membership dues are $20. Membership is free to seniors ages 80 and older. Each spring the society holds a watercolor exhibition, which is open to all painters. A show featuring the paintings of members will be on display beginning Oct. 6 at the Doubletree Hotel in Ventura. For information about the society, the next paint-out on Tuesday, Sept. 29 or the October exhibit, call (805) 985-4947 or (805) 644-2961.

Membership in the Plein Aire painters is $2 every two months to cover the cost of maps and newsletters. The next paint-out for this group will be held Tuesday morning, Sept. 22 in Santa Paula. For details, call (805) 647-4484.