CODY -- Coletta and Mike Maier moved here 16 years ago to follow a dream. Like many men who move to Wyoming, Mike yearned to be a backcountry outfitter.

Instead, the couple made a life outfitting a different and unexpected crowd: "plein air," or outdoor, painters.

"We came every year to visit friends," Coletta said. "Mike loved it, I hated it. I thought, 'This is the moon. It's so ugly here.'"

Coletta's view of the region took an about face, however, and today she invites creative people to experience the artistry of her home and runs a cottage industry producing paint boxes and other outdoor painting supplies.

The couple established Open Box M in the early 1990s after Mike took a fateful pack trip with artist friends Geoff Parker, Bob Barlow and Tim Lawson. The group hauled heavy, cumbersome art easels into the backcountry, bemoaning the weight of it all and encouraging Mike as a woodworker to come up with ideas for a more portable paint box.

Historically, artists on the go used one of two imperfect options. The original pochade box was the size of a cigar case and conveniently allowed artists to paint from their hands yet narrowly limited their project size. The alternative was the French easel, like the equipment Mike and friends carried on their pack trip, which due to its size and weight reduced the distance an artist could travel.

Rallied by his friends, Mike began making the Maier Pochade Box. It was a smaller, compact box that carries everything -- paintbrushes, paint and panels -- that an artist could need while painting in the field.

"When we first started, plein air painting wasn't very popular. We figured we'd probably make a couple hundred (boxes) and then be done," Coletta said.

"And then, all of a sudden, plein air painting just popped."

This style of painting outside rather than in a studio first gathered favor in Europe in the mid-1800s, when painters such as Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir began working outdoors in natural light. Artists of this vein today are attracted to destinations with remarkable lighting such as the East and West coasts, the Southwest, and of late, northwest Wyoming.

The popularity of painting "en plein air," French for "in open air," originally gained popularity once paint in tubes and the box easel were invented, making treks outdoors less onerous. Open Box M sustains that tradition by providing equipment that frees people to focus on their masterpieces.

"Mike was the designer," Coletta said. "He'd listen to what people wanted, and the design would evolve. We've had our current design for several years now."

Since Mike's death in 2003, Coletta and her kids -- Jacquelyn, married with a son named Ashton; Beau, who serves in Iraq with the Army's 82nd Airborne; and Gabe, a senior at Cody High who plans to play golf on scholarship for the University of Wyoming -- have continued to build upon his legacy.

"I decided I would keep the business going," she said. "In regrouping, I decided what we needed to do in order to keep the business growing and adapting."

Last September, the company started selling its specialty products online. It was advice from customers that led her into another recent foray: artist workshops.

"We have (brought in) the highest caliber of instructors just like Open Box M has maintained with our equipment," Coletta said.

In 2005, with help from her right-hand "boss lady and queen," Rene Huge, Coletta hosted her first class with artist Richard McDaniel of Santa Rosa, Calif.

Last summer, the team organized four workshops which drew more than 50 participants, and this season Open Box M has seven specialized camps on the docket featuring several artists.

"(Coletta) wanted to find another way to promote plein air painting and expose people to Open Box M," Rene said. "There are (events like these) going on all over the East and West coasts, but there was nothing in our area for the numerous creative individuals who wanted a chance to study with these incredible artists. We're filling a regional niche here."

Workshop attendees come to Open Box M from all over the country, and many are repeat customers.

"We have people who started the first year and keep coming back," Rene said. "We spoil these people rotten."

Besides rousing vistas and inspiring instructors, each workshop centers on gourmet food and personalized attention. Classes begin with a wine and cheese orientation where students begin to get to know one other and visit with instructors in a relaxed atmosphere.

Each day, Rene packs up a delectable lunch for teacher and students, and midway through every workshop the duo throws together a gourmet group dinner complete with live musical entertainment.

"We're sort of like glorified hostesses, but we really enjoy it," Rene said. "It's fun to pamper people and watch the creative juices flow."

This year, Open Box M offers its second women's-specific workshop. This three-day class is open to painters of all levels and focuses instruction inside the studio before venturing outdoors on the final day. An afternoon of Pilates instruction is included in the workshop price, and certified massage therapists are available to help everyone unwind.

"It's just a true women's retreat to explore their creativity," Coletta said.

Laurie Parker of Cody took part in the women's clinic last summer as a first-time painter and was amazed at the intensity and dedication required.

"The experience itself, not just the art, was so incredible," Laurie said. "I felt like it was nurturing my whole being."