クリニック・病院・治療院の待合室に飾るオーダーメイド絵画

BUSINESS ART ― Clinic

For the time spent in a waiting room.

Placing art in hospitals and clinics is known as "hospital art."

A waiting room is a place where people spend time with many different feelings. I listen to what the director or owner holds dear, and paint one work for that clinic.

Waiting is a time when worry grows

For many people, waiting for an examination or treatment is an uneasy time. They sit with worries about their body, in a room with strangers, waiting for their name to be called. That is exactly why what they see in the waiting room matters.

What patients could see changed their recovery

In 1984, researcher Roger Ulrich published a study in Science. He compared 46 gallbladder surgery patients (23 matched pairs): some had rooms with a window view of trees, others a view of a brick wall. Patients with the tree view stayed in hospital 7.96 days on average, compared with 8.70 days for the wall view.

Negative nurses' notes such as "upset and crying" or "needs much encouragement" numbered 3.96 per patient in the wall-view group and 1.13 in the tree-view group. On days 2 to 5 after surgery, the tree-view group also took fewer doses of strong painkillers.

The study showed that what people see is connected to the state of their mind and body, and it has deeply influenced how hospitals are designed.

A study of art in a waiting room

In the emergency department waiting rooms of two hospitals in Houston, a team led by Upali Nanda compared how people behaved before and after art was installed. After 30 hours of observation both before and after, restless behavior clearly decreased and people talked with each other more. The works installed were calm images of nature.

Choosing a painting for a waiting room

What these two studies suggest is that, in a waiting room, a painting that helps people feel at ease matters more than one that stands out. For a clinic, I ask how the doctor wishes to welcome patients, and bring that wish together with colors that help people feel safe while they wait.

Blood pressure fell after viewing paintings

Stefano Mastandrea and colleagues at Roma Tre University divided 77 people into three groups and measured their blood pressure and heart rate before and after a museum visit (Arts & Health, 2019). Most of those who viewed figurative art showed a significant drop in systolic blood pressure.

Art supports health of mind and body

In 2019, the WHO Regional Office for Europe reviewed the results of more than 3,000 studies and concluded that the arts play a major role in preventing ill health, promoting health, and managing and treating illness.

A University College London study followed 6,710 adults aged 50 and over for 14 years. People who engaged with museums, galleries, theatre or concerts every few months or more had a 31% lower risk of dying during the follow-up period than those who never did (BMJ, 2019).

What kind of painting will it be?

I talk with you about why you started your business, the values you hold, and the future you want to bring to people.

I gather the words and feelings that come up again and again in our conversation, and turn them into color, form and light in one original painting.

Each painting comes with a letter that explains why these colors were chosen and what the work holds, so the story remains in words as well.

Where my work is on display

KANEDA Acupuncture & Massage (Kaminoyama, Yamagata)

An acupuncture and massage practice in Asahidai, Kaminoyama. Treatments are given by Dr. Kaneda, who holds three national licenses, both at the shop in Kaminoyama and on home visits.

A distinctive point is that he looks at your posture with images and carefully explains the current state of your body. It is open from early morning until night, including Sundays and holidays.

On the Japanese review site Ekiten it is rated 4.65 from 73 reviews (as of October 2026). Reviewers write that he explained "why the pain appears, and even how to prevent and care for it," that he was "very easy to talk to, even for a shy person," and one says they have been coming for seven years.

KANEDA Acupuncture & Massage on Ekiten (Japanese)

Price & Timeline

It usually takes about two months from the first conversation to delivery.

From ¥239,000 (framing included)

See the Pricing page for sizes, and the BUSINESS ART page for the process and pricing by how the work will be used.