Having spent more than 15 years working in
the public service field and community affairs sector, Venezuelan healing-art
artist based in Abu Dhabi, Wilma Burton finally got the opportunity to specialize in
the form of art that she has gained much inspiration from and is displayed in
all her artworks – ‘Healing Art’.
Here is what the budding artist had to say…
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| Wilma Burton, Venezuelan healing-art artist |
Here is what the budding artist had to say…
Q) How
would you define Healing Art?
A) Healing Art according to me is a type of
art that encourages the process of healing and the well being of a person, whether
it is physical, mental or emotional. This is achieved as it alters a person’s
physiology and attitude. Similarly by using healing art, people on the whole
can benefit from a painting by getting inspired and experiencing positive
emotions such as hope, peace, happiness, and harmony, among others.
In hospitals and healthcare facilities,
healing art has been used to ease the mind of those who consider hospital
settings being traumatic. According to the research conducted by experts in the
field, this can be changed since in all sorts of unexpected ways, displaying art
in hospitals has significantly proven to be beneficial. Drawing from my
personal experience, I have witnessed patients who are surrounded by this kind
of art display a decrease in their length of stay at hospitals, there is also a
decrease the need for pain relief, lower blood pressure, and better the immune
system.
Q)
What is the process you undertake when creating healing art?
A) Healing Art has to be done the right way; you
have to be able to incorporate vivid paintings with compositions that the mind
associates with goodness, along with images of landscapes, friendly faces, and
familiar objects to create a positive distraction for patients. Abstract
paintings on the other hand seem to have the opposite effect on patients. In my
work I use a lot of images of nature since I believe that nature is a universal
symbol and is appealing to most people. I think most of us love flowers,
rainbows and the ocean etc.
Even colours play a chief role in the construction of Healing Art because each colour possesses a different healing property. Colours act as powerful communication tools that are not only used by artists, but also by interior designers. We have some colours that are favorable for positivity and then there are others that can generate negative emotions. For instance, I use blue and green in some of my paintings because they tend to have a calming effect on the mind, whilst red has an energizing quality that can help with better blood circulation, and pink can heal grief and sadness.
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| Artwork titled, 'Flowers in Harmony', by Wilma Burton |
Even colours play a chief role in the construction of Healing Art because each colour possesses a different healing property. Colours act as powerful communication tools that are not only used by artists, but also by interior designers. We have some colours that are favorable for positivity and then there are others that can generate negative emotions. For instance, I use blue and green in some of my paintings because they tend to have a calming effect on the mind, whilst red has an energizing quality that can help with better blood circulation, and pink can heal grief and sadness.
Besides using colours and the right
composition, I try to make my art that displays a sensation of being sucked
into it, allowing oneself to escape in the imagery and relieve their
sufferings, whether it is of a landscape where ones imagination can run free or
a tranquil place where there is peace and quiet.
Q) Have
you ever healed anyone through art?
A) Yes, some people who visit my studio, and
are suffering from stress, anxiety or depression have found solace after
viewing my artwork. So according to each particular case I create an
appropriate painting that would produce or transmit the healing effect they
need in order to improve and address a specific condition.
An interesting fact, worth mentioning is that some of my collectors take back my artwork to hang it in their bedrooms, the reason being that they want it to be the first thing they see when they wake up every morning, and the last thing they see when before going to bed. I understand that my art represents a sense of having a window to nature that makes people happy.
Q) Why
is the medium of ‘art’ good for healing the soul?
An interesting fact, worth mentioning is that some of my collectors take back my artwork to hang it in their bedrooms, the reason being that they want it to be the first thing they see when they wake up every morning, and the last thing they see when before going to bed. I understand that my art represents a sense of having a window to nature that makes people happy.
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A) Art is the food for our soul and hence it is
special. In this case, I would incorporate images that bear an innate spiritual
significance such as hummingbirds. These birds are symbolic for resurrection,
creatures that open the heart and show people to relish the magic of being
alive. Even butterflies are a perfect symbol of transformation and faith,
inspiring hope in us to undergo transitions and look forward for new beginnings.
Peacocks as well are symbolic of renewal and its feathers have been used for
thousands of years for healing purposes across many cultures. They are said to
carry spiritual healing energy that can help people to attain a sense of
balance and harmony in their lives.
Along with the composition, colour also plays a key role in healing the soul. For example, purple is a colour of transformation that inspires spiritual insights and renewal.
Wilma Burton is a thriving artist in the region and recently had her work displayed at the Etihad Modern Art Gallery for their Ramadan Art Souq.
Along with the composition, colour also plays a key role in healing the soul. For example, purple is a colour of transformation that inspires spiritual insights and renewal.
Wilma Burton is a thriving artist in the region and recently had her work displayed at the Etihad Modern Art Gallery for their Ramadan Art Souq.
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| Burton's exhibition at the Etihad Mordern Art Gallery |
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