[Today’s featured artwork for Day 91 of the 365 Days Project is by Linda Vonderschmidt-LaStella.]
What if doctors gave out prescriptions for art rather than pills?
#91 – The roots of art are in healing.
Centuries ago, artists were the healers of their tribe. Those who are familiar with the principles of holistic healing, feng-shui and the power of certain colors and forms understand why hospitals carefully select the artwork that hangs on their walls so that it may offer peace and comfort to those in the process of healing. Artwork in the home can also have a subliminal effect on the subconscious. Think about the artwork (or lack thereof) in your workplace…or that mural you pass every day on your way to work.
The effects might seem subtle, but they can build exponentially.
Linda Vonderschmidt-LaStella’s work in ceramics is created with this concept in mind. “I see my current work related to the very earliest forms that we call ‘art’ – objects that are a functional and beautiful part of ordinary life, work that enlivens a space,” said the artist.
“For more than 20 years, a portion of my work has included an exploration of a round wall form I initially called a ‘rondo’, which I have come to see as associated with the round images in traditions worldwide – from the Mayan Calendars to the mandalas of Eastern traditions, to medieval rose windows and tondo paintings of the Italian Renaissance, the Pennsylvania Dutch hex signs on barns and houses and Native American sand painting. In all of these there is a strong connection to the spiritual and an association with healing, which connects well with my work.”
I always appreciate those subway murals that invite me to slow my pace whenever I find myself rushing about in major cities and for the carefully curated artwork in my home that provides a mini-oasis that always grounds me.
It’s a subtle form of healing that needs no prescription.
Linda Vonderschmidt-LaStella’s artwork can be viewed at: Earthsongs
Description of the images included in this post:
Veiled Mandala
Linda Vonderschmidt-LaStella, New Jersey
Earthenware and glazes
My Treasure
Linda Vonderschmidt-LaStella, New Jersey
Earthenware and glazes
The 365 Days Project
In 2012, Serena Kovalosky committed to writing an article a day for 365 days as an exploration into the lives of artists and the value of creative thinking in our society.
Experience the full evolution of the project! Click below to read the entire collection of articles.
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