Power of art

Art can do anything. It can inspire. It can uplift. It can heal.

The artist featured in today's SE Live said he tries to create works that "show revelations of joy and happiness." His colorful mixed media pieces strip away feelings of doubt and leave the opportunity for joy.

Cape Girardeau's two major hospitals realize how powerful art is and use it to enhance patients' experiences while undergoing medical treatments.

Southeast Hospital recently installed two sculptures meant to calm and soothe patients at its cancer center.

The kinetic art work at Southeast was designed and built by Jeffery Laudenslager, a San Diego sculptor. One is a shorter sculpture called "Circle of Healing" that was erected in a garden near the Cancer Center. The other, "Tranquil Ripples," stands 20 feet tall just outside the center entrance.

At the top of a tall, slender base, three rings rotate with even a small breeze. I spent far too much time staring at it, trying to figure out how it's moving and waiting for that rare moment when all three rings are in alignment and it looks like a flat structure. A second later, though, nature had spun the rings again, making them resemble an atom or Saturn with erratic rings.

Saint Francis Medical Center recently completed a rooftop garden with a walking path, year round foliage and soon, statues. Music drifts through the garden. A fountain pushes water over smooth stones. The entire area evokes calm and serenity.

Shawn Roll-Huston designed the rooftop garden and is currently planning a whimsical children's garden to be built soon. He was limited somewhat by the architect's original design, which forced him deal with weight distribution and drainage issues, but he overcame those short hurdles and created a peaceful space for patients and family to escape.

Roll-Huston said he has taken drawing and art classes for several years and still draws in his free time. The garden owes its aesthetic appearance to his artful eye.

This injection of art in a landscaper's life further supports the point that art is beneficial to all parts of life, be it working or healing.