Part Three, Choosing and Creating Effective Hospital Artwork, Page 1

State of the Art

I visit a lot of hospitals, mostly around Los Angeles, and I always check out
the artwork, especially the murals. Taken as a whole I think it's not bad.
The word seems to have gotten out that landscapes and nature scenes are
healthful and pleasing and that abstract and surreal works are not. The popularity of vintage movie and advertisement posters appears to be on the
wane. These works can be colorful and amusing but they can also be
overpowering especially in smaller spaces. Also many do not provide views
of nature.

In most hospitals the works of art are prints from originals paintings. Care
should be taken to avoid poor quality prints and prints where the colors have
been adjusted to be too intense. Also poor quality prints will fade, especially
if they get direct sunlight.

One Artist's approach to Children's Murals

Whenever I'm commissioned to create a children's mural I endeavor to make my artwork as beautiful and pleasing as possible. I compose and paint works meant to entertain, calm and reassure children, their parents and the hospital staff. Part of how I do this is by following many of the research findings mentioned in Parts One and Two of this article. I have also developed a useful set of rules. Some of them are based on well- established tenets of painting, some are my own. Here is what I know from research and practical experience about creating an effective children's hospital mural.