Nature Painting for Relaxation among Hospital Staff

Abstract

This research reports on the creation of paintings to promote a healing environment for the staff of Khlong Luang Hospital in Pathum Thani Province. Hospital staff are prone to job-related fatigue due to high patient expectations and a heavy workload from a large number of service users. Creating an environment that promotes rest and relaxation is one way to provide emotional balance for this target group. The study began by examining the principles of creating a healing environment, which involves designing spaces with a positive effect on human perception. Specifically, it uses paintings depicting nature as a visual stimulus to evoke positive emotions in the target group, making the hospital environment more pleasant. This led to the creation of research tools to collect data and determine appropriate concepts, styles, colors, and artistic expression for the paintings. The findings showed that a realistic painting style had the strongest emotional impact on the target group. The selected color tones and artistic expression leaned towards a sense of visual comfort, warmth, softness, coolness, and liveliness. These 22 paintings were then permanently installed at Khlong Luang Hospital, with careful consideration for the suitability of the spaces, ensuring the artworks serve as a tangible public benefit and align with the important role of contemporary art in addressing and solving social issues.