Did You Know This About Health And Art?
Did you know that Evidence-Based Design nature scenes are restorative?
With all the talk today about Evidence-Based Design—what is it?
Evidence-Based Design is a field of study that emphasizes using credible medical and scientific evidence to influence design. Evidence-Based Design uses ideas from environmental psychology, architecture, neuroscience, behavioral economics, and more.
According to Ulrich and Gilpin, research suggests that nature art, or art with views or representations of nature will promote restoration if it contains—
calm or slowly moving water
verdant foliage
flowers
spatial openness
park-like settings or Savannah-like properties
Over the years, I have tried to create location appropriate art using these (and other) evidence-based design principles and guidelines.
Here are three paintings where the backgrounds are of a stretch of beach on Highway 23 in Northern Michigan. (Local scenes are also favored in evidence-based design.) I’ve taken some criticism over the years for not painting with enough tradition and realism. Even though I am a natural-born abstract artist who also creates evidence-based design art because it has the potential to help restore human health and happiness, I don’t mind. The huge pink clouds next to the pretty blue skies are in this first painting because that’s just how amazing the skies can be in this geographic location. (evidence-based design guideline: local scenery)
Print of Morning Majesty
Also, keeping in line with Ulrich and Gilpin’s evidence-based guideline of calm or slowly moving water, Lake Huron is amazingly still on most warm weather days. I deliberately keep my brushstrokes long and flowing. This creates the calmness, which creates a restorative/de-stressing effect. For water high-interest but not water high-focus, I blend the paint into a variety of colors.
People are often so surprised when they arrive at this location on Highway 23 because—from the horizon line to the shore—the water is often a dark blue, then medium blue, then a lighter blue, then an aqua color. The aqua color comes from an abundance of limestone. (evidence-based design: calm or slowly moving water)
Print of Beautiful And Happy
Print of Lake Huron Lovely #2
In many of these paintings, I also introduce the evidence-based guidelines of flowers and verdant foliage because people in this area love flowers. (evidence-based design: flowers and verdant foliage)
In the warmer months, many towns in the Great Lakes region burst with downtown flower festivals, downtown flower baskets, and flower sales.
This area, already a water lovers destination, also becomes a super happy flower lovers paradise.
This painting, Hope’s Sunshine, is a view of Lake Huron from flower-beautiful Mackinac Island
