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Healing Power of Art

The Power of Sentiment – The Healing Power of Art

Recently, the heartbreaking news of devastating summer fires in two places I hold dear, Lahaina, Maui, and Yellowknife, NT, has profoundly affected me, influencing my current body of work centered around the journey of a Polar Bear King. The undeniable healing power of art has been extensively documented and discussed. Art has the remarkable ability to tap into the inherent healing potential within each of us, fostering a sense of communal connection.

When we stand before a work of art, we become linked not only to the artist but also to others who have shared in this experience. This connection, whether to ourselves or to fellow art enthusiasts, lies at the heart of the art-and-healing nexus. Healing, much like art, is not a static destination with a prescribed timetable or endpoint; rather, it’s a meandering path with numerous potential avenues. ‘Art can harness the healing power within each of us and help bring us into community with one another.’ MoMA

Just as every encounter with a cherished piece of art offers fresh insights and emotions, the healing process is a dynamic journey, with opportunities branching out in myriad directions.

A short story and two new Polar Bear King paintings.

The Chair of Contemplation – painting, installation and photography by Brandy Saturley

A Tale of the Polar Bear King in Lahaina and Yellowknife

In the lands of Lahaina and Yellowknife so grand,
Where summer wildfires scorched both sea and land,
A tale unfolds of two paintings so rare,
Of a Polar Bear King, on an expedition, solitaire.

They hung in a gallery, dusty and old,
Their frames chipped and tarnished, or so I’ve been told.
One showed the bear, resting under a great Banyan, with a crown of Lei on his head,
The other, in the town of Yellowknife, where around the town, wildfires had spread.

Under the Banyan Tree, 24×36 inches, acrylic and gouache on canvas, 2023

One sunny day, as the sun took its rest,
The paintings came to life, yes, you read that jest!
With a shimmer and a shake, they broke from their frames,
The Polar Bear King leading their colorful games.

Through swirling vortex, they journeyed so bright,
From Lahaina to Yellowknife, day and night.
They soared through the skies, o’er mountains and plains,
Healing the wounds of the fire’s fiery reigns.

In Lahaina, the first, where the palm trees did sway,
They brought rain and cool breezes to chase heat away.
The people rejoiced, their spirits set free,
As the paintings worked magic, for all eyes to see.

Then on to Yellowknife, where winter was near,
The Polar Bear King brought the Northern Lights clear.
They danced in the sky, a colorful delight,
Chasing away darkness and the cold of the night.

Defender of The North, 24×36, acrylic and gouache on canvas, 2023

The paintings, they whispered tales of hope and of grace,
Of a world that’s in need of a loving embrace.
With a twinkle and gleam, they returned to their place,
In the gallery, dusty, with a smile on their face.

The Polar Bear King and the healing they’d brought,
In Lahaina and Yellowknife, their wonders were sought.
Now their story is told, a tale to inspire,
Of two paintings’ journey, set the world to inquire.

Healing Power of Art – sending love to the world.

With these paintings I am sending a beautiful bubble of protection, healing and love to the peoples of Lahaina and Yellowknife. See all the Polar Bear King Paintings here.

Chair of Contemplation August 2023, Brandy Saturley studio, Vancouver Island, BC

September 1, 2023

Five Paintings Inspired by Hawaii

Art For Sale

From Vancouver Island to Maui; Five Paintings Inspired by Hawaii

Vancouver Island, off Canada’s Pacific Coast, is known for its mild climate and thriving arts community. Not unlike the Hawaiian Island of Maui, both islands inspire paintings of the ocean, the flora and fauna, and laid back vibes created by island life. While you could fit about 17 Maui’s into one Vancouver Island, there are a number of similarities between the islands and the culture. There is a vibrant surf community on both islands, and plentiful rainforest areas for exploring. While the ocean is colder and the sand grey on Vancouver Island, it doesn’t stop us from enjoying water sports of all kinds, just like on Maui. I haver always said that the perfect life would be splitting my time between painting and living in Canada and Hawaii. It is part of the reason I have explored Maui many times, each time coming home with photos, sketches and writing influenced by the time on the tropical Hawaiian gem. It is a place where many artists have escaped to over the years to recharge and immerse themselves in nature. One of my favourite historical painters, Georgia O’Keeffe – visited Maui, Kauai, Oahu, and the Island of Hawaii in 1939 and completed 20 paintings of flowers and landscapes in a span of nine weeks. Maui contemporary art first emerged in 1778 when the early Western explorers visited Hawaii and brought artists to document its striking landscape and unique people. This yielded paintings and drawings from contemporary artists like Jean Charlot, Joseph Sharp, and Robert Dampier. I recently returned again from Maui, with new ideas, birthing new paintings. Here are a five paintings inspired by Maui, surf, and Island Vibes.

I Ukulele You, acrylic on canvas, 2022, Brandy Saturley

Blue Crush, acrylic on canvas, 2022, Brandy Saturley

Jumping Pineapple, acrylic on canvas, 2022, Brandy Saturley

Surfing Rainbows, acrylic on canvas, 2022, Brandy Saturley

Allure of Maui, acrylic on canvas, 2018, Brandy Saturley

August 8, 2022

Georgia O’ Keeffe’s Hawaii

Artist Process, Inspiration

A good book and a little bubbly to pass the time on this Maui bound flight.

Georgia O’ Keeffe’s Hawaii – Making Art in Magical Maui

About six years ago after my first trip to explore the landscapes and flora of Maui, I discovered a book written by Maria Ausherman from interviews with Patricia Jennings, about world famous painter, and one of my favorites, Georgia O’Keeffe. The book, Georgia O’Keeffe’s Hawaii , focuses on three month’s in 1939 when O’Keeffe visited Hawaii including Maui, as guest of the Dole Pineapple company as they had commissioned her to paint an image for their advertising campaign. The book had been sitting on my desk and I had yet to crack it open, and with a December trip planned to the island paradise, I decided to pack the book up and read it on the plane on my seven hour flight to the island. It was the best way to begin this second journey and set me up for re-tracing O’Keeffe’s footsteps in Hana and the I’ao Valley areas of the island.

Helicona in Hana, Hawaii – photo by Brandy Saturley December 2017

The book is told from the perspective of a 12 year old girl by the name of Patricia Jennings who had served as O’Keeffe’s personal guide while in Maui in 1939. “Less than three years after O’Keeffe’s visit, Pearl Harbour was attacked. The world suddenly changed and Jennings memories of her time guiding O’Keeffe on Maui sustained her through this difficult period in US History. As long as we keep our stories, friendships, and our art, we will not lose the joy of being alive.” (excerpt from the book, April 2011 NYC)

The story is an entertaining and vivid recollection from the perspective of a child and a famous artist, known for her sometimes difficult nature. Jennings spent 10 days with O’Keeffe and from this experience bloomed, much like O’Keeffe’s flower paintings. Jennings credits her time with the artist as schooling in becoming a more confident girl and woman.

Coming off the plane in Kahalui and breathing in the plumeria laced air, I was ready to let the sentiments and recollections in the book, lead me to the places that inspired more than twenty paintings, including the final piece for Dole.

Beginning with the flowers, I was on the lookout for the Heliconia, which appears on the cover of the book. The flower is flamingo-like in it’s colours and shapes. There are many varieties of this flower, all beautiful, unusual and substantial. I found this particular flower in Hana, on Maui. Hana is located at the eastern end of the island of Maui and is one of the most isolated communities in the state. It is reached mainly via the Hana Highway, a long and winding, 52-mile-long (84 km) highway along Maui’s north shore. The charm of Hana is the fact that little has changed over the last 20 years. Untouched by the major developments of the other side of the island, the Hana community has managed to perpetuate the small town atmosphere, Hawaiian culture and most of all, its natural scenic beauty. Unspoiled, serene and mystical; Hana is truly Maui’s last authentic Hawaiian place. Polynesians arrived in Hawaii in 500-800 AD and built the Pi’i-lani Heiau temple – the largest in the state of Hawaii.

Lava Bridge in Hana, Hawaii

I then ventured to the rugged lava created coastline exploring one of the area’s red sand beaches, which offers a view of a lava bridge, famously painted by O’Keeffe. It is a significant structure that offers a keyhole view from from a distance. O’Keeffe also painted many of the valleys and waterfalls in the area, most found along the Hana Highway through short hikes from the roadside.

Waterfalls in Hana, from Maui Air helicopter vantage point – Brandy Saturley, 2017

Thanks to Maui Air I was able to get up and achieve an overhead perspective of the many valleys and waterfalls in the area, inducing the one’s that inspired O’Keeffe. From 50ft to 400ft and more, these waterfalls and turquoise pools against emerald green lushness, sets your soul at ease. Breathing in the eucalyptus and the tropical flowers sends you into a foggy headed trance, you find yourself in a place you never want to leave.

I’ao Valley and Needle | Brandy Saturley, 2017

After soaking up the beautiful coast and rainforest of Hana I was excited to explore the I’ao Valley. An emerald and lime green valley in Wailuku and including the West Mountains and volcano. Perhaps the most lush and most green place on Earth. The mountains change throughout the day as their wrinkles or valleys light up as the low hanging clouds pass by revealing their beauty, but only a little at a time.

For Georgia O’Keeffe and Lawren Harris | study for a painting Brandy Saturley, 2017

This trip offered numerous opportunities to soak in the lush colours & shapes and the intoxicating sounds and smells. From eucalyptus to plumeria blossoms, from salty air, to sand – Maui puts you in a trance that you do not wish to leave. I spent a few days at a condo in Kihei sketching on my lush garden patio, listening to birds and watching plumeria blossoms dropping daily to my feet. Breathing in Maui and breathing out my expression of this cinematic place on my sketch pad and canvas. As with any adventure, I am looking forward to seeing what this trip produces in my art. The sketch shown here, which is a study for a future painting, is titled; for Georgia & Lawren – two of my favorite painters and both icons of symbolic landscape painting. Aloha from paradise and thank you Georgia O’Keeffe, Patricia Jennings and Maria Ausherman for the inspiration. What if Georgia O’Keeffe and Lawren Harris met and made art together? A question to answer in my next post.

IAO, 48×36, acrylic on canvas, 2022, Brandy Saturley

December 13, 2017

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