FOUNDATION
LOCAL WILDLIFE ARTIST TERRY LEE’S USE
of vivid color and impressionist style brings life
to his paintings. When Teri Farr, president of the
Kootenai Health Foundation, was asked to help
select art for the recently remodeled Kootenai
Health café, she knew exactly where to turn.
“Terry Lee and his sister, Deanna Goodlander, had
recently been involved in the 2010 Festival of Trees,”
said Farr. “Terry donated an original painting,
Autumn
Moose
, which was very popular. He and Deanna also
organized an artist’s tree with ornaments designed by a
variety of well-known artists. They spoke passionately
about their appreciation of Kootenai Health’s lifesaving
services. So when I approached Terry about artwork
for our most public space in the hospital, he generously
agreed to help out.”
“Donating my art is my way of giving that can be both
an asset to a charity and a lifetime of enjoyment for the
collector that purchases it,” Lee said.
Lee’s art is playing a different role this time. Two of his
paintings are now hanging in the café for patients and
visitors to enjoy. The goal is to help the healing process by
brightening the spirits of those going throughdiffcult times.
“The colors in these particular paintings are bright
and cheery,” he said. “We wanted to make people smile.
Normally my animals are very in-your-face, but people
have described the big bear painting as being ‘cute’—
even ‘adorable.’ Those are words I’ve never heard used
to describe my paintings.”
T H I N K L O C A L L Y
Farr and Lee decided the paintings should represent
wildlife in the Northwest. “We wanted something that
would appeal to all ages, both men and women, and
represented our geographic area,” said Farr.
The large painting depicts a mother grizzly and her
three cubs in a river. The mother bear is sitting lazily
by the river while her cubs entertain themselves in
the water. The second painting is a colorful profle
of a moose.
“We wanted to portray a certain feeling,” Lee said. “I
thought a mother bear with her cubs would resonate
with families and make people feel good.”
Over the course of a month, Terry worked to create the
two paintings now in the café. He had several people
weigh in with opinions and suggestions to make sure
they were just right.
“Painting is a problem-solving process,” he said. “When
I pick up the brush, I begin to solve the problem. Once I
start, I’m ‘all in’ day and night. My paintings are loose and
spontaneous—it’s a dance between me and the subject.”
C O L O R A C U R E
The paintings were created to offer patients and visitors
a beautiful diversion while they heal.
“Art has the power to calm and connect patients with
a different experience,” Terry said. “It heals the spirit so
the body can heal too.”
This is more than just an artist’s instinct.
Beginning with Roger Ulrich’s studies in the ’80s
and ’90s, neuroscientists around the world have been
studying the effects of art and architecture on patients.
Many of these studies conclude that certain types of art—
landscapes, nature and skylines—can reduce stress levels
in patients within minutes of observing the pieces. Lee
strongly believes that having a boost in attitude, mood
or outlook comes through in the healing process.
“It gives off an energy that can be contagious,” he said.
“It can make patients feel better about life—a sunny day
versus a rainy day.”
S U P P O R T
You, too, can give in a variety of ways. For
more information on how you can help
heal through giving, contact the Kootenai Health
Foundation at
208-666-2345
.
The Art of Healing
L O C A L A R T I S T T E R R Y L E E
H E A L S T H E S O U L T H R O U G H A R T
KOO T E NA I
H E A L T H
. OR G
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