Hospital unveils art in healing garden
(CNS): A new pieceof work by local award winning artist Gordon Solomon has been unveiled at the Cayman Islands Hospital. The Health Services Authority (HSA), with the assistance of the ‘Do Something Cayman Campaign’, recently upgraded the exterior landscaping of the facility, which included the creation of a healing garden with Solomon’s artwork as a focal point. CEO Lizzette Yearwood said this new mural is an important part of the garden. “We wanted to provide a peaceful and serene environment filled with hope and life. I think that this mural, combined with the fantastic landscaping job done recently completed by dozens of volunteers, achieves that result,” she said.
The theme of the mural is ‘Victory’ and Solomon said he drew upon biblical references in creating the concept. “The Cayman Islands has a rich history of Christianity which made that a natural choice, especially given the significant life events that take place inside a hospital,” he explained.
The central image of the mural is the hand of the divine, God, with one individual reaching out to God’s hand in a time of need. Another individual is pictured inside a white lily, praying.
The mural was entirely hand painted by Solomon who drew the outlines of all the figures Friday evening and painted all of the main outlines and fine details himself. Six other volunteers worked under his direction on Saturday to fill in some of the larger areas. The paint used in the creation of the mural was a regular semi-gloss exterior and donated to the hospital by Cayman Coating.“The hospital gave me total freedom in designing this piece,” Solomon said. “I was free to offer my own interpretation of the space and the physical, emotional, and spiritual healing that it is intended to assist. I am hopeful that it will be a source of comfort and inspiration to those in need.”
A winner of The Cayman National Cultural Foundation’s Artistic Endeavour Award in 2002, Solomon is a well-known Caymanian artist and musician. He has exhibited work in the National Museum, Art at Governors and The Visual Arts Society and his solo show at the Westin Casuarina Hotel received much critical acclaim.
Category: Local News
