We have just uploaded a selection of 34 waterfalls, abstracts, landscapes and botanicals from this past fall’s travels. You can view them in the New Image Gallery or by clicking HERE

More than 30 new images have been added to the site in the last week.  Many of these new images have been chosen for their relevance to healthcare design. Some of these photographs were created on Byron’s recent trip to California others were selected earlier from other trips. They include everything from waterfalls to beaches and forests to flowers. Click on the New Images link above to view them. There are several pages of photographs to view.

Image #20101030-68 Reflections of fall in the river

It is now common knowledge that nature images in healthcare facilities are an essential element to the well being of patients and contribute positively to the mental state of visitors. Once you accept these facts, the next logical step in the thought process is the realization that nature images can contribute to the mental and physical well being of the population in general. If a beautiful image of nature helps a patient in the hospital by lowering stress levels, blood pressure and speeding the healing process, doesn’t it stand to reason that such images can have positive benefits on our lives in environments other than just hospitals and clinics? What about retirement communities, corporate offices, government offices, schools and of course our homes? These are all places where the therapeutic effect of fine art nature photographs would be welcomed.  It is exciting to think that fine art nature photographs may have such a positive affect on our emotional and physical well being that they may in fact help to make our trips to the doctor less frequent and our daily lives less stressful.

Image #6622 Morning sunlight streaming through trees

We all have a sense of the restorative and healing powers of being in the outdoors and experiencing nature. But can simply viewing art that depicts nature aid in healing our bodies? As a fine art nature photographer it is certainly an intriguing concept. One of my motivations when I create a fine art photograph is to help uplift and inspire people. It  appears that there may be some physical healing that can take place from viewing art images of nature.  Now there is evidence that looking at art that depicts nature can actually have a healing effect on our bodies. Here are some recent findings:

“In Harmony with Nature’s Blueprint” published in Interior Expressions (February 2000), Jain Malkin writes the “effect of nature on humans has been thoroughly studied… humans have physiological and emotional responses to nature.”

In recent years, Roger Ulrich, Ph.D., environmental psychologist, director of the Center for Health Systems and Design, College of Architecture, Texas A&M University, and a leading authority in the field has expounded his “Theory of Supportive Design.” Access to nature is central to this theory. The underlying premise is that “improved medical outcomes are linked to environments’ effectiveness in facilitating stress coping and restoration. Supportive design tries to eliminate stress factors and to include features that reduce stress, calm patients, strengthen coping resources… including access to nature.”

Ulrich has cited numerous studies showing that “viewing nature can produce significant recovery from stress, which in turn, can lead to cost-savings, by improving medical outcomes,” going as far back as a 1984 Science paper which stated: “patients with bedside views of nature had briefer hospital stays and needed less medication.” In a September 2000 presentation titled “Evidence-based Environmental Design for Improving Medical Outcomes,” Ulrich argued that “exposure to nature produces significant recovery.” Both psychological and physiological stress reduction are noted, as measured by “less anxiety, calmness, reduced blood pressure, muscle tension, heart and respiratory rates.”

Interesting…..

Our friend Barbara Markoff, owner of Artrageous! in San Diego, has written a book titled, “Becoming a Corporate Art Consultant, the Handbook for Corporate Art Consultation.”

With very little information available on how to sell art programs to corporate clients, Barbara felt compelled to write a book on the subject and share her 29 years of experience.  Topics include

how to locate and work with artists, find leads, make presentations, write proposals, maintain client relationships, join the right networking groups, showcase the artwork with appropriate

framing design, and how to install artwork.  This book will be a valuable resource for all interested in selling art programs to corporate clients.

Barbara, a former art therapist, has been in the art and framing industry for almost 3 decades.  She has developed  over 400 art programs nationwide.   Her clients include a wide cross section of industries including healthcare, hospitality, law, education, commercial real estate, biotechnology, telecommunications, sports teams, and banking.

What is Wabi-Sabi and what does it have to do with my photography?  Wabi-Sabi describes a Japanese aesthetic of art and living.

One of the best explanations I have seen for the term is:

“Wabi is a feeling of loneliness or solitude, reflecting a sense of nonattachment and appreciation for the spontaneous unfolding of circumstances. It is like the quiet that comes from a winter snowfall, where all the sounds are hushed and stillness envelops everything. Sabi is the suchness of ordinary objects, the basic, unmistakable uniqueness of a thing in and of itself.”
From ” The Zen of Creativity”
John Daido Loori

A few years ago a large number of my images were chosen by a client to be hung in an upscale hotel. While I was printing the images I marveled at how the image choices seemed to have picked up a theme that ran through my images. This was not a theme that I was aware of as I was creating the photographs in the field. I was so fascinated that my client had seen this thread that ran through my imagery that I was unaware of, that I couldn’t resist writing her and telling her how much I appreciated her “getting it”.

Her response was “I love your work it is so Wabi-Sabi!” I immediately began researching on the internet and at bookstores. I ended up reading and learning about a Japanese aesthetic which had permeated my fine art photography for years without even being aware of it.

There is a nice article about Byron Jorjorian Photography and interview with me on Paula Grace Designs’ Blog. To view it click HERE