Beauty as Care

This post will not have any pictures...which is weird because it is all about pictures and pieces of art. I have been interested lately in the art that hangs in places where emotions are high. Most of my last few weeks have been spent in the Hospice House here in Prince George and in the Paediatrics wing of the hospital. There are two things that these places have in common. First they are places that you never want to be, and second, they have a lot of art. I am more partial to the art that is in the Peads wing but that is just a preference. The art there is bright and happy and is a wonderful encouragement when you are going through a hard time as a child or extremely concerned about your own child, as a parent or family member. There is pictures of cartoons, wonderful and happy forrest pictures, paintings of local scenery such as children playing at Ft. George Park. The Hospice House also has a lot of art. There are calming pictures of beautiful (but muted) forests, carvings that show local talents and more angels of every style of art than I have ever seen in one place. The majority of these pieces in both places have been donated by different individuals and companies in the community. There are many of them that have been donated in memory of loved ones.

It has been interesting to me to think about the way we show people that we care about them and have sympathy for their circumstances. Most of the time, we give art. Whether it is a beautiful card or a painting, or a park bench with a carving on it, they are all forms of beauty that we give as care. It must be that our own human nature tells us that when we were in those circumstances we would have really loved to see a little more beauty, something that reassures us that all is right with the world.

I have to say, of all of the art that I have taken note of in the past month, I can pick my favourite without hesitation. There was a really big painting in the Paeds wing that portrayed four popular TV kids shows like "Toopy and Beeno" and "The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That" (I can't remember what the other two were). What I found interesting is that this painting was donated in memory of a child that died very young. I love that this family thought about what other children going through medical turmoil would like to see, and found or made art that catered to those needs. I am a religious person and find a lot of comfort in my faith in God but I have to say, walking around a room with someone who is terminal and is in there last days, seeing an angel on every surface is not really comforting.

So now I start the debate: how will I grieve, what kind of art will help me down this path when I lose one of my most loved people? Perhaps a quilt, as I have already expressed is my form of choice. However, what I think this particular space needs is a huge painting of a beautiful sunset or a gorgeous view of sun coming through trees in a forrest made of strong trees, or maybe a fall scene. I'm not sure if I can create one of these things but I am quite sure that if I were to ever spend more time in a place like this I would like to look on art that makes me smile, the same way that cartoon painting does for my child.