Health Care Fine Art

Flying Flowers

Front cover of "Flying Flowers" by Rick Sammon

Butterfly images are one of the few "bug" pictures that seem to be popular in healthcare settings. I want to add a few more butterflies to the galleries on my website.

When Noppadol Paothong heard that he suggested that I look at "Flying Flowers". I was able to find a used copy online at Amazon.com.

Rick Sammon is a well known photographer who has published  over 27 books. I don't think this is his best work. For butterflies I prefer the work of Donna Brunet: www.donnabrunet.com

Donna works with subjects in the wild and uses mostly natural lighting. Sammon's butterflies were mostly captives at Butterfly World. Because they were indoors, he relied heavily on flash which creates an unnatural black background. Donna uses fill flash which is much more subtle.

I was also surprised that some of the butterflies in the book (7 by my count) had tattered wings. I would have skipped them or fixed them in Photoshop.

To see more of Rick Sammon's work his website is: www.ricksammon.com

Bill Jay on Photography

If you love reading about photography I have a website that you might want to check out:
www.billjayonphotography.com. In particular I would point you to his essays and articles. They are all available for free by clicking here.

I've been enjoying his column in Lenswork Magazine for years. Like the magazine, his writing does not dwell on photo gear and techniques. Instead he offers insights gained from a lifetime as a photographer and a teacher of photography.

Recently I read his book Occam's Razor: An Outside-In View of Contemporary Photography. His writing can be very funny. For example in the book he has an essay criticizing "criticism" and other pseudo-intellectual posturing

"Copy down a paragraph (any one will do) from a current critical theorist. Memorize it. Then, in front of the mirror, practice a halting, stumbling delivery with screwed-up face until you can recite it as if ther words were being laboriously dredged up from deep in your psyche with gut-wrenching sincerity."

That quote came from an essay called "Madonna Made Me Do It, How to appear profound when talking about your photographs" It is on his website. To read it click here.

Ultimate Blogs

After years of reading newspapers online (my homepage has been the New York Times for a decade) I've decided to give print another try; we just started getting the Sunday New York Times in print form.

One reason is to get the New York Times Book Reviews. Reading their reviews can be very entertaining and can point out what books I might want or might not want.

One that I don't think I'll go to the trouble of buying is  "ULTIMATE BLOGS Masterworks From the Wild Web" by Sarah Boxer.

David Kamp's in his review calls this a "sampler of what’s out there in the untamed blogosphere, a primer for the uninitiated". However he does not make me want to buy the book.

With millions of blogs out there, how could one anthology succeed in capturing the flavor of what is available? Still, this review is entertaining and is available for reading free: click here.

The author of the book (Sarah Boxer) has also written an essay about blogs that you can read by clicking here.

Art Dubai - Contemporary Art Fair in the Middle East

Dudai has a LOT of new buildings and those buildings are going to need a lot of art. To answer this need Art Dubai was created in 2007. This years show, which just ended, has doubled in size to include more than 70 International Galleries. The art on display is not traditional Middle Eastern Art. Instead, it is art that would fit at any of the many International Art fairs.

Artreview.com has a more in depth post on Art Dubai on their blog: click here

Dubai is booming. It's population doubled in the last ten years to 1.2 million people. It's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was US$37 Billion in 2005. Amazingly, only 6% of the GPD was oil and gas related.

It has some of the most intense commercial construction activity of any place on earth. Much of this construction is highly innovative and is being done by top Designers from all over the world.

Dubai HealthCare construction was also covered on a post on this blog on November 12th: click here.

To learn more about Art Dubai, the official website is: www.artdubai.ae

The Desert Botanical Garden

Baja Fairy Duster (Calliandra californica)_1416

While I've been in Phoenix this week I've had three extended visits to the Desert Botanical Garden. I would go again if I had more time. It is that good.

Every time I am in Phoenix I make it a point to stop by to take pictures. They have a one of the world’s finest collections of desert plants on their 50-acres site. Because of the higher-than-normal winter rains the number of flowering plants is particularly rich right now.

It is very easy to get around on their meandering paved trails; they are even handicapped accessible. It is easy to forget that you are in the middle of the 5th largest city in the US.

To learn more about the Desert Botanical Garden visit their website: www.dbg.org

I Believe in Gardens

Palm Trees in the Arizona Center Garden

I had an experience today that convinced me of the power of gardens. I was taking a sunrise walk in Downtown Phoenix. There were tall glass buildings, construction equipment, traffic and congestion all around. I could feel my neck muscles tighten up.

Then I walked down into the garden at the Arizona Center. There was an elongated pond with running water at the bottom. There were plants everywhere. I even spotted a Yellow-rumped Warbler. Because it was a recessed garden, the street noises were muffled. They had hidden speakers playing Bach. Above it all were the palm trees (shown above) offering shade from the intense sunlight.

This is a true urban oasis. As I sat on one of the wooden benches I could feel my muscles relax. Bravo to whoever designed it and thank you to whoever paid for this space. It is a masterpiece.

Feeatured Artist: Deanna Dikeman

Indian Dancing_0932

The picture above was inspired by the Ballroom Photos of Deanna Dikeman. I was at the Phoenix Art Museum on Saturday and discovered that it was India Cultural Day. Dancing was part of that and I was lucky enough to get close to the stage. As soon as the dancers came in and set their vibrant fabric in motion I thought of Deanna's work.

In addition to her Ballroom series, Deanna has other series that should work well in HealthCare. Take a look at her Wardrobe series and her Public Installations.

To learn more about Deanna Dikeman's work, check out her website: click here

Her work is sold through the Dolphin Gallery in Kansas City.

Desert Bloom

Saguaro National Park March 23rd, 2008

When we drove from Phoenix to Tucson today I was surprised at how colorful the roadside was. Wildflowers were in bloom everywhere. Especially abundant was Brittlebush (Enelia farinosa), the yellow flowers seen in the picture above. I took the picture this morning in the Saguaro National Park.

This is certainly an alien landscape for me, but it was magical. To see a desert landscape filled with wildflowers is a rare treat which is only possible because of all the rain that Arizona has had the last few months.

Despite it's appeal to me, I'm told by Designers and Art Consultants who follow evidence-based Design that pictures of cacti, even the fascinating Saguaro cactus (seen above) are not appropriate for HealthCare. Apparently thorny plants and desert landscapes can be seen as threatening.

If you are ever traveling in Southern Arizona I highly recomend hiking the trails of the Saguaro National Park. For more information on the Park:click here

Shooting Digitally Means Shooting More

Every professional Photographer/Artist that I know tells me that when they start shooting digitally the number of images they take per year goes up. Sometimes way up. After all, the "film" is free.

I got my first serious digital camera (a Nikon D1X) right at the end of 2001. Since then my shooting has steadily increased. Now that I have left medicine to work at this full time I expect my shooting in 2008 will be even more.

One advantage of shooting more is improving more rapidly. With digital I find I am more likely to take risks and sometimes that pays off. As I learn from what works and what doesn't work my skills improve.

The Art of Healing - The Atlantic Monthly on HealthCare Art

"Over the past decade, most public places have gotten noticeably better looking...Unless, that is, your establishment is a doctor’s office, medical clinic, or hospital."

Great quote from Virginia Postrel in the April 2008 Atlantic Monthly. I couldn't agree with her more! Yes there are exceptions; just look at the wonderful new spaces in HealthCare Design Magazine. But sadly they are few and far between. I can tell you from personal experience, most hospitals and clinics are bleak, especially once you are out of the main lobby.

Why do "hospital clinic interiors have to feel so much like a Motel 6 from the ’70s.”
Why indeed!

To hear the answer read the full text of the article "The Art of Healing" by clicking here.