CS Artist Spotlight: Laura Bender
How do you inspire healing with artwork?
For Laura Bender of SitePainters, making art is an inner exploration, an exploration of color and beauty, particularly in nature. She is immensely talented at identifying an aspect of a tree, for example, and tuning into the exact elements of that tree to determine what she enjoys looking at and conveying it through her art. Over time, her painting has morphed into various collages of flowers, birds, animals, and nature scenes, using shades and colors to convey these images without exactly duplicating them. It wasn’t long before Laura’s artistic style was noticed by interior designers, and the requests to lend her talents to healthcare settings across the U.S. began to pour in.
When Laura received the call to share her talents with the Penn State Children’s Heart Group, she immediately thought of the sun as inspiration. To Laura, with its grand, bright rays of light, the sun conveys courage…and what’s needed more in a children’s hospital than courage? Bender said:
“The whole idea of making art for a healthcare facility is providing something that’s uplifting, that can calm you but can still engage a child or a parent so they feel comfortable being there and can relax.”
The next thing that came to mind for Laura was the material. Specifically, how to cover and protect the walls of her art while creating the impact of a large, colorful mural. Onsite painting of wall murals provides numerous challenges not thought of by many: rain creating a humid environment, the sun drying out paints, coordinating with staff to close down spaces, and sometimes closing entire corridors.
Ultimately, the idea of creating art at her own pace, in her own studio, and installing that work onsite, pointed Laura in the direction of Acrovyn by Design. Acrovyn by Design enables the artist to use large format artwork, graphics, and even photography, on walls without concern for fading, scuffing, cleaning and damage. Laura’s design is safely embedded behind a durable Acrovyn sheet, creating a stunning and utterly custom scene that can be easily installed without disruption.
Laura Bender is a strong advocate for Acrovyn by Design and often chooses the product to incorporate her artwork into healthcare and healing spaces.
