« December 2007 | Main | February 2008 »
Haliotis iris
This week I'm finishing up reviewing all of the thousands of images I took in 2007. It is a blast, but it is so all consuming that I've neglected posting on the blog. I should be through this process by the end of the weekend and I'll get back to regular posting again.
In the meantime, I'm happily glued to my computer.
Above is one of the 300 that I have picked as as keeper. It is the picture of a Rainbow Abalone (Haliotis iris)
Yesterday I took an extended tour of the factory and offices at Skyline Design in Chicago.
I was impressed!
Most of you probably know Skyline already, but if you don't, they are the preeminent manufacturer of architectural glass in North America. They specialize in custom carved, painted, and etched architectural glass.
Inside the rather modest red brick exterior, the factory space extends over thousands of square feet. I kept thinking we had seen it all and then we came to yet another basketball-court sized room. Despite the fact that they were very busy with orders, the production floors were clean, well-lit and the air quality was good.
Designers and Architects I have worked with around the United States always tell me the same story about Skyline Design: "They are wonderful to work with" "They have the nicest people and they also make the best glass, by far!"
My impressions echo that. Of the hundred people that work there, they all seemed to be happy. One reason they may be so happy is that there seems to be a culture of creative playfulness that starts with the owner Charlie Rizzo; he has a twinkle in his eye.
The staff was obviously very passionate about their work. You could see that the people working with the glass were proud of their craft. The designers I met approach their job as artists. The sales and management staff share the same creative vision. It was very exciting to sense the energy that was there; creative yet also professional.
If you are ever going to be traveling to Chicago I encourage you to try to arrange a tour.
Their website is www.skydesign.com
York Harbor, Cost of Maine by Martin Johnson Heade, 1877, Oil on canvas
I gave myself an assignment today: Find works of art that fit the criteria for Evidence-based Art within the Art Institute of Chicago.
This is what I looked for:
Among the hundreds of paintings I surveyed, most did not fit the bill, but I did find 5 that worked. Of those, one stood out as meeting most of he criteria listed above. It is pictured above. The artist Martin Johnson Heade, a name I did not know.
The audio tour described this as a prime example of Luminism. Luminism is an American style of painting characterized by a strongly horizontal canvas, tight invisible brushwork; and pervasive light. The audio tour said that in looking at this painting "you should feel yourself slow down." It did have that effect on me. There was an appealing stillness and calm in this painting that I think would make it work particularly well in a patient's room.
As I searched the Internet for information on this painting I found a site that will sell you a copy of this painting for only $189. Seems like a bargain to me if it is done well. Click here for the link.
The photo above was taken with my iPhone.
I have the website "Google News" configured to show me sites that appear that fit in: "Architecture" "Commercial Interior Design" "Fine Art" and in "HealthCare Design". This morning as I was skimming over it, drinking my morning coffee I saw an interesting looking book: Sustainable Healthcare Architecture by Robin Guenther and Gail Vittori. The book was just published last November. You can buy it for $63.40 at Amazon by clicking here.
AIArchitect had a glowing review of the book recently:
This is a very important book. The authors document a change in the profession that is as remarkable as it is swift-paced, because they present eloquent examples of sustainable architecture thriving in environments where it has the potential to do users the most good. Equally important, the book embodies the integrated, collaborative practice that makes green architecture possible, both in the presentation of the buildings and the book itself. Sustainable Healthcare Architecture is well documented, well written, well indexed, and well edited. It’s also well illustrated, albeit in black and white, and with its 16-page four-color signature as a visual treat...
There was also a discussion of the book on the AIA Blog: Click here
Amazon give this description:
Written by leading national experts on the subject -- one of whom was recognized by Time magazine as a green innovator -- Sustainable Healthcare Architecture is the key guide to designing sustainable healthcare facilities. Building on the authors combined knowledge and experience, this book includes case studies of more than 50 of the best contemporary sustainable healthcare projects. The book also contains numerous essays contributed by other leaders in sustainable design and healthcare. Additionally, the authors provide background information on LEED for Healthcare, as well as on the Green Guide for Health Care, which they were instrumental in developing.
Drei Geschwister / Three Sisters by Gerhard Ricther, 1965, 135 cm X 130 cm, Oil on canvas
My creative juices get stimulated by looking at great art. Today that happened as I spent a few hours in the Museum of Contemporary Art. One piece I kept going back to was the rather small grey painting pictured above by Gerhard Ricther.
Why did this image appeal to me? On the surface it was a blurry painting of an old black-and-white snapshot. I really don't understand the appeal, but I can't deny it. But who said art had to make sense? I just has to "work" at some level and "Three Sisters" does for me.
And I'm sure it is not because I have three sisters (but I do)...
In November I put up a post announcing the symposium in New York City on “The Importance and Value of Art in Health Care". Now there is more information.
Donna Glassford at Vanderbilt University Medical Center filled me in the details:
The Friday symposium, lunch and dinner cost $300.
For $50 you can attend the Thursday workshop on how to start a Visual Arts Program in hospitals.
The hotel for the conference is Warwick New York Hotel. Donna said it is " a stones throw away from MoMA."
To download the brochure on the conference, click here.
I registered online by clicking here.
The Keynote speaker will be Oliver Sacks, MD
The talks scheduled on Friday are:
This looks to be a great conference.
I hope to see you there!
My friend Bill Knight introduced me to another sculptor whose work would fit well in HealthCare settings: Art Wells. Art created the sculpture to the left which is called: "La Femme Du Jardin."
I asked Art to tell me a little bit about himself.
"I feel that fine art is food for the soul, so I strive to create something nourishing. I want my work to serve a purpose, other than to bring me a paycheck or as an “investment for someone. Long ago I thought, “If I had a nickel for every person that said ‘Ooh… Aah…” while looking at my sculpture I’d be rich.” Now I’ve realized that “Ooh… Aah…” means my sculpture is serving a higher purpose. It is bringing more peace and joy into people’s lives. So many people even ask me, “May I touch it?” Of course, it’s stone, it’s meant to be touched.
As an artist, I’ve wanted to set myself apart from the rest of the pack. Sometimes I sculpt in clay for bronzes, but prefer to take my work to the next level. My passion is carving the human figure in stone. Carving a beautiful, convincing human figure in stone is becoming a lost art in America. There are only a handful of sculptors here that are willing and able to do this. I feel honored to be one of them.
Besides sculpting realistic portraits and figures in stone, I also love to stretch the boundaries of the traditional, creating more modern, stylized interpretations. La Femme du Jardin is one example of my modern interpretation of the figure carved in granite. Whichever style, my goal is to create sculpture that adds to the fullness of the viewer’s life, making it brighter, stronger and happier."
Art lives and works in McKinney, Texas.
To see more of Art's work check out his website: www.artsculpts.com
The 21st annual Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo is going to be held September 9-11, 2008 in Chicago.
I wanted to see what it might have for those interested in the use of Art in HealthCare so I asked Nancy Jo Wiggen.
For more information on this event, check out their website: Click here
Chinese copy of Gerhard Richter's "Woman Descending the Staircase" photographed by Michael Wolf.
The Chinese painters who copy Western Art are aiming high. A few weeks ago I had a post on this blog about called: Save Money on Art: Outsource to China. I assumed that the paintings were aimed at the mass market of America, paintings that you would hope to find in Wal-Mart.
Now I discover that paintings by my favorite living artist (Gerhard Richter) are being copied, and the copies look pretty good from these pictures. They are aiming at a very high-end market here; Richter's originals sell for many millions of dollars each. I wonder what the copies sell for?
Even though Richter's paintings would not work for the HealthCare market, I suspect that there are many copied paintings that would fit perfectly in a new Hospital or Medical Clinic.
You can see more of Michael Wolf's photographs these Chinese copies by clicking here.
People living in McMansions get best new Hospitals.
The boom in new hospital construction is occurring where the money is and not where the people are. The money is concentrated in wealthy suburbs surrounding big cities.
It makes sense. Hospitals are increasingly high tech and very expensive to build. To get any return on the investment it is reasonable to build where there is easy access for patients that have excellent health insurance and a lot of money.
This is also where most of the money is being spent on Art for HealthCare. In addition to it's healing properties, Fine Art can help draw in wealthier clients; it is one way to separate your hospital from the pack.
USA Today in an article "Hospitals go where the money is" writes:
"Expensive, high-tech hospitals in the suburbs are replacing older, cramped buildings established mostly in downtowns during the 1950s and 1960s."
Email Henry
Subscribe to my feed.
About this Blog
Recent Comments