Health Care Fine Art

The Greatest Show on Earth

"Quite simply the greatest nature/wildlife series ever produced"  summarizes most of the reviews I read of the BBC"s Planet Earth.

My sister Jane lent me the DVDs and after watching a few of the eleven episodes, I can see why this series gets such rave reviews. The quality is jaw-dropping good. They spent $25 million on it's production and visited 62 countries. The innovative camera technology and persistence of the cinematographers reveals sights never captured on film before. Because it was filmed almost entirely in high-definition format the clarity of the images is astonishing.

It is remarkable how far nature films have improved in the past 4-decades. When I was a kid I loved watching Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, which premiered in 1963. It featured  Marlin Perkins as the host.  The shows seem a bit corny now, but I think Perkin's did just as good a job then as David Attenborough does today.

Here is the official website of the show: Link

Here is a shot of Marlin Perkins: 

Why is Modern Art Flat?

Agnes Martin : Untitled, 1998 , Set of four lithographs

An art consultant grumbled to me recently "It is so hard to find photographs that show a sense of depth. Most of the work seems to lack dimension, it feels flat"  She was concerned because she wants to find art that fits with Evidence-based Design. For patient rooms in hospitals, research suggests using landscapes with an open foreground and a sense of depth.

Since the Renaissance, almost all painting has obeyed a convention: that of one-point perspective. This is a geometrical system for creating the illusion of reality, based on the fact that things seem to get smaller as they go further away from you. This effect can be mimicked with photography by using a wide-angle lens and positioning the subject carefully.

Modern art rejected many of the conventions from the past, and one of the important ones was creating the illusion of depth on a flat surface. This reached its epitome with the art movement called minimalism. The lithographs above by Agnes Martin fit with Minimalism; it's hard to imagine flatter works of art.

In an interview in the LA Weekly, John Szarkowski says "modern is flat, right? The whole tradition of modern painting has to do with flatness."

Having grown up in the age of Modernism, I feel comfortable creating flat works of art. But if my clients want images showing more depth, I''ll give it a try.

Tips for improving Wayfinding

Where? 1034

Getting lost is VERY frustrating. I know because I have a lot of experience with being lost. Somehow I was born without a sense of direction. If it weren't for my wife or the GPS navigation in my car, I  would have a hard time getting anywhere.

Getting lost while you are sick or anxious; such as in a Hospital, is especially frustrating. It just compounds negative feelings on top of negative feelings.

The August issue of Implications on the InformeDesign Web site has some good tips on how to make it easier to find your way. The topic is "Wayfinding Design: Hidden Barriers to Universal Access." To read this PDF newsletter click here.

Where? 1034 is piece of art about being lost that I created a decade ago. It was inspired by an experience of being profoundly lost in the hills of Tuscany.

Featured Artist: Frans Lanting

Emperor Penguin Family by Frans Lanting

Frans Lanting is one of the most respected Wildlife Photographers alive today. His work has been commissioned frequently by National Geographic, where he is a Photographer-in-Residence. He was born in the Netherlands and now lives in the USA, however if looking over his images he must spend most of his time traveling to exotic locations.

In addition to his Wildlife Photography, he is a prolific writer. He has published several books with titles such as "Penguin", "Jungles" and "Bonobo: The Forgotten Ape".

More of his photographic images can be seen on his website: www.lanting.com

Frans Lanting prints, many of which would be perfect in a HealthCare setting, can be purchased online or at his gallery at the northern tip of the Monterey Bay in Santa Cruz, California.

Goal: Locus amoenus

The term "Locus amoenus" is Latin for "pleasant place"
It has come to mean an idealized place of safety or comfort. Just the kind of landscape one might want in a patients room in the hospital.

I kept coming across this term in the book I just finished: Landscape Painting: A History by Nils Buttner. The index to the book lists thirteen references for Locus amoenus!

Here is an example used when discussing Raphael's "Saint George" (circa 1506) "The landscape, with it's distant city above George and his mount, evokes the classical locus amoenus, at the same time suggesting a part of the world freed from Evil..."

Video Clip: Printing and Packing

Printing and Packing (6-minutes long) Part Three of Three

My studio is packed with high-end Epson printers and they' re always running. I've tried printing services but I want to have more control over the final product. I want to be sure the prints are perfect. In this episode some of what I discuss:

• Explaining the importance of using "archival" grade inks, papers and canvas.
• Discuss why using 8-inks can give move vivid colors than the 4-inks that are used in conventional prints such as poster art.
• That special place in the creative process where the magic happens. "Seeing" the completed work, before I picks up the camera.

Filming, video editing, sound recording and editing: Steve Mays. His excellent blog is smays.com

Video Clip: Processing the Image

Processing (Part Two of Three) 7-minutes long.

In this episode I explain that if you want to create photographic art all you need to know about is the program called Photoshop. Well, maybe not ALL you need to know...
Also discussed:

• The advantages of shooting in the RAW image format
• Working with a digitizing tablet (no mouse for this work)
• Getting images ready to print.

Filming, video editing, sound recording and editing: Steve Mays. His excellent blog is smays.com

Video Clip: Shooting the Image

Shooting (Part One of Three)

In this first of three segments (10 min), I am interviewed in the field while shooting some pictures. I discuss:

• How I choose a subject
• Preparing the site and capturing the image
• Digital photography - why not film
• The Prairie Garden Trust which is the backdrop for most of my images.

The filming, video editing, sound recording and editing was done by Steve Mays. Actually he has done a lot more than that. Almost 4-years ago he introduced me to blogging and showed me his blog: smays.com

In 2006 he proposed and then produced a series of 50 half-hour podcasts about medical topics. Once a week he would come to my medical office ("Studio C") and would record the banter. These podcasts are still online at www.LivingHealthyPodcast.com . If you want to hear the interviews, click on the blue "Listen Now" button within each of the topics.

It was with Steve's support and encouragement that I started this blog. His enthusiasm is infectious when it comes to blogging and podcasting; it touches everyone around him. His wife Barb has started a blog: Long Term Care Law. Even my wife Lorna has started a blog for the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Digital Photo Frame - The Future of Hospital Art?

Prediction:
Within ten years flat panel television screens will replace prints as wall art in patient rooms.

Sales of flat panel displays have been remarkable. Since they are used in all computer displays and most television screens there has been a tremendous drive to reduce price and increase quality. Even Bill Gates uses flat panel monitors to display fine art in his mansion.

The displays are starting to get into a price range where they could be considered for wall art in patient rooms. Last week I found one on Amazon.com for $180 and I thought I would try it out. Here is the Link

It arrived today and I've been setting it up and seeing how it compares to prints on a wall.

My initial impression: Close, but not ready for prime time.

• Having the image illuminated from behind is very pleasing and eliminates the need to consider proper lighting.
• Image quality is poor compared to my prints but I think that it will satisfy most patients. High-def monitors that look better are available, but they cost more.
• Having sideshows with hundreds of images is easy to set up and may be more appealing to some viewers than a static image.
• Patients could easily add their own pictures to personalize their room. I can see people loving having pictures of their grand children or their pets on screen.
• The screen is only 6 x 8-inches, much too small for wall art in a patient room. Bigger monitors cost much more.
• The build quality not good enough to survive in a busy hospital setting. This is really something for your grandmothers desk.

Society for the Arts in Healthcare

Designers and Art Consultants kept telling me "You should join the the Society for the Arts in Healthcare". So I went to the website looked around and decided it was worth the $125 membership fee. I'm now a member.

To learn more I asked the staff at their Headquarters in Washington D.C. a few questions:   
What is the primary purpose of the Society for the Arts in Healthcare?

The Society for the Arts in Healthcare (SAH) promotes the use of the arts as an essential part of healthcare. We educate about the valuable role the arts can play in the healing process and help individuals and organizations build and strengthen programs through education, resources and consulting services.

How does it relate to the other non-profit organizations involved
with HealthCare Design? Complimentary? Competition? Different angle?

SAH is the only US-based national not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to ensuring access to the visual, literary and performing arts and design in all healthcare experiences.

How many people are in the Society for the Arts in Healthcare? Who are they?

We have nearly 1,700 members worldwide. Our members include people from many walks of life. We have artists, designers, architects, healthcare providers, hospital administrators, researchers, educators and many others.

How can you help Artists, Interior Designers and hospital staff?

We offer programs, educational and networking opportunities and consulting services to the field.

With our online and printed publications we offer information about model programs, best practices and cutting-edge arts in healthcare research. 

We also publish job and volunteer opportunities, recent news articles and member news and announcements.

Do you have any conferences or events?

We have an annual conference as well as regional meetings throughout the US and Canada. Our next annual conference will be held on April 16-19, 2008 in Philadelphia, PA. To learn more, go to www.thesah.org and click on events.

Anything else you would like to say?

We have a unique grant initiative. For six years Johnson & Johnson,  in partnership with the Society for the Arts in Healthcare has provided  funding for programs in the US and Canada, which serve as models for  improving healthcare through the use of arts.

Proposals are now being accepted for programs that can be replicated  in undeserved communities. For more information and eligibility  requirements, please review the guidelines available at  www.thesah.org. The deadline for this offering is September 19, 2007.

The staff that answered these questions for me were:
Anita Boles, Executive Director
Sarah Kemp, Programs Director
Evlyn Baker, Operations Manager