The giving tree, Elana Mokady, acrylic on paper, 12x12 inches, created for
“No Kid Hungry”, 2019

“At the deepest level, the creating process and the healing process arise from a single source. When you are an artist, you are a healer, a wordless trust of the same mystery is the foundation of your work and its’ integrity”  - Rachel Naomi Remen, MD .

 Happy Art holds amazing healing powers for both the creator and the audience. Bright and vibrant colors that are depicting optimistic themes are a visual inspiration to people. All of us are children at heart, deeply touched by color and feel uplifted by it.

It is especially true with kids, who are open to learning and experiencing life freely and without judgment. Their energy aligns with bright colors. Colorful representations also help kids develop their attention to details and give them deep satisfaction and joy because they “get it”. This is the reason why so many hospitals are interested in decorating empty walls with colorful and decorative art. It has healing properties to it.

I’ve been honored and humbled to witness this phenomenon first-hand through my work with leading healthcare providers and companies that dedicate their efforts to helping kids in need. I created numerous paintings for hospitals and private healthcare spaces across the US, including Boston Children’s Hospital and hospitals in San Diego California, Oklahoma and more. The sketch of the giving tree exhibited here was created (with pleasure) for No Kid Hungry.

Being an artist who chooses to paint Happy Art, some of my most rewarding moments are centered around stories told by patients or parents of patients who experience my artwork during challenging times. Often times I’m told that my vibrant and happy art transports them or their loved ones to a happier place and time – helping them cope with their struggles, while gently guiding them down the path to recovery.

It is also amazing to see how fast medical science is catching up to what many artists have known for years: There is a strong, intrinsic connection between art, healing and overall physical and psychological health.

Would you like to share a story about the healing power of art? I’d love to hear it. Share it on Twitter  or on the Facebook page.

Here's to your health and happiness!

Yours Always,

Elana Mokady

Microscopic color symphony, Elana Mokady, acrylic on canvas, 36x36 inches, Boston, MA, October 2019.

Recently I was commissioned by a group of physicians from the nephrology department in one of Boston’s hospitals to paint an artistic representation of a part of a human kidney, as observed by them through the lens of a microscope. Its’ scientific name is the glomerulus. This painting was a gift to one of the most prominent researchers in the field.  

I was given a tiny abstract image that showed the expression of the PLA2R molecule which became a novel discovery in the nephrology field and was published by Beck et al in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2009.

As an artist & founder at Elana Mokady Art it was remarkable to see the importance of color in medical research. Using an outstanding color-coding technique that is called immunofluorescence staining, scientists were able to differentiate molecules in the human body and validate complicated scientific assumptions that helped solve human conditions and unexplained disease paths.

As I started painting my original, I was astonished to see how colorful my source was and how human organs shine from within when we can see them in color. I felt free and inspired by the wonder of colors and complicated shapes that I found. My imagination soared and I was living inside of what was a completely abstract concept for me.

It was an honor and an opportunity for me to use my imagination and colorful palette to paint this scientific- artistic representation. Painting a microscopic image on a large scale transformed me into a new space with imaginative branches, fruits and an abundance of color, and led me to see shapes that I had never seen before. Each brushstroke was a surprise and a joy.

I named this painting “Microscopic color symphony” to remind all of us how sometimes art and science align.

Get even more inspired by colors,

Happy New Year!! 

Yours Always,

Elana Mokady