White Coat Warm HeART

Scene of one of Toronto's iconic streetcars. Once risen so often and packed, but now just a memory due to lockdowns from the Pandemic. Art for me allows me to express what I am experiencing from the world around me - and right now, it is COVID-19 that is affecting every aspect of our lives.

Anesthesiologists have the highest rate of suicide amongst physician specialties. During this global pandemic, more than ever, it has been a struggle to keep the stresses of our workplace from soiling our personal lives and mental health. These photos are an illustration of the burden we carry with us both at work and home.

Anesthesiologists have the highest rate of suicide amongst physician specialties. During this global pandemic, more than ever, it has been a struggle to keep the stresses of our workplace from soiling our personal lives and mental health. These photos are an illustration of the burden we carry with us both at work and home.

Bipolar disorder is characterized by the alternating phases of depression and mania. The background of the canvas is painted in vibrant colours depicting grandiosity, racing thoughts, heightened pleasurable activities, and pressured speech. The figure in black represents the phase of depressed mood, suicidal ideation, and anhedonia. The dancing pose is the realization of being caught in the chronicity of the disease yet trying to live through the relapses and remissions.

Part of a large series of radiology inspired art, a literal take on words. Blooming artifact (or magnetic susceptibility artifact) is a term used in MR imaging, when hemorrhage or blood products results in field in homogeneity.

This piece was created using perler beads and digital media. It depicts an anatomical heart somewhat blurred and reflects how navigating a pandemic has affected me.

Medical professionals often witness or experience serious trauma while providing care, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, this emotional burden has reached a new intensity. Burnout is a real phenomenon, and too often physicians repress how they feel due to the unremitting demands of their work. This piece depicts this struggle with self-expression and the almost magical release that comes with listening to the music and vitality of one’s own heart sounds and voicing the truth that lies within.

The heart is often artistically expressed in isolation. I chose to depict the heart in situ—with lungs, diaphragm, phrenic nerves and great vessels—as it is in life inextricably connected to its surroundings. The image was carved onto two blocks and printed in layers, echoing how we learn, building a base of knowledge and layering details over top.

In this fast-paced journey in medicine, I’ve often felt like a hummingbird flapping to stay afloat, tachycardic with my efforts to keep up. Just as cardioversion restores a life-sustaining rhythm and the flowers nourish the hummingbird, the people and passions in my life help me strike the balance I need not just to survive but to thrive.

An aging brain is represented in brown along with the orange sunset phase of human life. An elderly couple experiences a transition in their relationship from a healthy lifestyle to that of a person diagnosed with dementia and a caregiver. The bird metaphorically describes the fading memories and the puzzle in the backdrop is missing some pieces. Such individuals are lost twice, once when they fail to recognize their family and a second time when they pass away.

"Exhale" was a humble ending to 2020. Let us exhale. Breathe. Listen. Love. Give way to light, truth, and life. colour blots creative launched in 2018 as an outlet for exploring colours, shapes, and techniques involving acrylic paint.

Leaves of Love and Hope collected from the Pacific Spirit Park, Vancouver, located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Musqueam people, and dedicated to the children separated from their families over seven generations by the Canadian Government and placed in residential schools, and to the children separated from their parents at the border by the US Government.

I created this particular piece as the COVID-19 pandemic began to make its way across Canada. As it was still in its early stages in this country, I was attending school and activities in person and was surrounded by talk and the hope that it could not be that bad. I felt a sense of detachment from the tragedies occurring in other places around the world; they were saddening, but I was still living in my own bubble, in my reality. It was a strange feeling.

When the Science of Medicine with ECMO meets the caring and compassionate Art of Medicine to save lives on the COVID unit at Vancouver General Hospital. ECMO stands for Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation but could also stand for Ever Compassionate Medical Optimism, thanks to the dedication of our frontline healthcare workers epitomized by the caring nurse-specialist portrayed in my drawing.

Drawing the COVID-19 ward of Maria Pia Hospital in Turin in my studio on April 28th allowed me to spend a few hours in quiet reflection on the National Day Of Mourning, a day that could never been more meaningful, as we remembered and honored those who had lost their lives or been injured from their time in the workplace.

An aging brain is represented in brown along with the orange sunset phase of human life. An elderly couple experiences a transition in their relationship from a healthy lifestyle to that of a person diagnosed with dementia and a caregiver. The bird metaphorically describes the fading memories and the puzzle in the backdrop is missing some pieces. Such individuals are lost twice, once when they fail to recognize their family and a second time when they pass away.

On May 25^th one of the darkest days of 2020 George Floyd was murdered by asphyxiation for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. This barbaric criminal act resulted in demonstrations across America and around the world and highlighted so many other crimes against the black population by rogue police officers including Breana Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, Eric Garner and so many more.

Inspired by words of President Obama and in support of those marching for Equality, Justice and Freedom in New York and across America on June 19th, including in Vancouver. “Juneteenth is a time to recommit ourselves to the work that remains undone. We remember that even in the darkest hours, there’s cause to hope for tomorrow’s light” Barack Obama, 2016.

During difficult times, it helps to be reminded that one day, there will be a new morning to look forward to.

This quilling* art frame represents the intricate human eye in an artistic manner. The periphery portrays the traits of the aspirants of ophthalmology as a field of medicine. The various qualities include perseverance, hard work, adaptability, honesty, and intelligence. The symbol of embracing life in maroon colour signifies the work-life balance and the ability to deliver good and bad news in the best interest of the patients. [*Quilling: or paper filigree is an art form that involves the use of strips of paper that are rolled, shaped, and glued together to create decorative designs.

As physicians and healthcare workers, we must remember the challenges that patients face both physically and mentally. This artwork represents the concept of "Patient Centered Care" where members of the healthcare team surround and support the patient.

My art often responds to world events whether tragic or uplifting. 2020 was a year like no other and this year’s submissions reflect that; from all the heroes that have inspired us; to the demonstrations for justice and racial equality; to the knowledge children separated at the border are yet to be united with their parents.

A healthy heart is nimble, light on its feet, and ready to react to what the body needs – like a dancer. Psychosocial stress impedes this ability, pushing the heart into a rigid, fight-or-flight rhythm. This image represents the beauty, liberation, health, and pure joy of living authentically, free of stigma.

I was inspired by the intricate muscular structures inside of the ventricles.

Encaustic made from a flowering Queen Victoria Agave plant that blooms once in 35 years and .. then .. it sadly dies. I had to do something with the pods and honour such an unique plant. Inspired by the front cover of Nature with COVID19 watercolor of Dr. Goodsell [*Encaustic painting* aka "hot wax painting", using heated beeswax to which colored pigments are added]