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| Somali Doctor displays artistic side in ST. PAULS |
Posted by  admin on June 01 2010 05:54:44
ST. PAULS - Patients at Primary Care of St. Pauls get artistic enrichment with every check-up.
Lining the walls of the East Blue Street clinic are dozens of colorful paintings showing everything from rural African scenes to allegorical depictions of human conception.
The paintings are the handiwork of clinic owner Dr. Mohamed Osman, who has been balancing his medical work with his love of art for most of his career.
"Art has a healing energy. You can't deny that," Osman said. "By exposing our patients to the energy of art, they can heal better."
About three months ago, Osman and his wife, Natalia, opened their Blue Street clinic, where they offer family medical services from pediatrics to geriatrics.
The Osmans didn't want a typical medical setting for their new clinic. They designed it to incorporate natural light, allowed in by high-placed windows that preserve patient privacy, and placed a premium on recycling. The tan-and-green color scheme in the clinic is designed to promote a feeling of calm.
The clinic is also designed to showcase the doctor's art, which seems to have played just as much a role in his life as medicine does.
Osman, 58, was born in the coastal town of Merka, Somalia. He won a scholarship to study medicine in Uzbekistan, where he met Natalia, who was studying to be a dental surgeon.
The couple worked in Kenya, then returned to Somalia, where Osman became the director of a United Nations health clinic.
In 1990, as the Somalian civil war intensified, the couple and their daughter immigrated to Canada. Osman did a medical residency in Toledo, Ohio, and practiced in Seattle before moving to Fayetteville in 2003.
Much of Osman's art is informed by his medical work. Some of his paintings depict conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder. Others have titles like "Displaced" and "Loneliness."
He has also done a series of paintings depicting the emotional trauma of female genital mutilation, a practice done in some African countries and elsewhere.
Osman sometimes draws on his childhood for inspiration, painting scenes of life in Somalia, particularly along the coast where he played as a boy. A painting titled "Merka Beach" depicts the beach that Osman played on as a child. "Medical Student" was inspired by the Osmans' daughter, who is studying medicine in Virginia.
The darker-themed paintings are not featured at Primary Care of St. Pauls. Instead, the Osmans showcase colorful works designed to put patients at ease.
Osman estimates he has completed 500 paintings. His works have been featured on the covers of books and medical journals and have been displayed in shows at Fayetteville State University and during Fourth Friday events. A sampling of his collection is featured on his website.
Although Osman includes his name or initials in most of his paintings, there is no plaque or sign identifying the doctor as the artist.
"Many of our patients don't know it's the doctor who paints them," said Natalia Osman. "They'll say, 'Who is the artist?' "
They also ask whether the paintings are for sale, Natalia Osman says. They're not. The paintings are there for the enjoyment for patients and visitors to the office.
The Osmans are planning a public opening of the gallery on June 24.
Osman said his clinic art gallery is still a work in progress. Many paintings are still to be hung, and the Osmans said they will probably switch out paintings as time goes by.
And the doctor, who also does photography and video as hobbies, said he will no doubt be completing new works that may end up on the walls of the clinic.
How does a busy, full-time physician find the time for such artistic pursuits?
"I really divide my time," Osman said, "and I'm very strict about it."
By:Abdullahi Hussein Maaryaa
Maaryaa News Agency
Home of True Reports
London Stanmore,
Great Britian.
5 Comments · 297 Reads
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#1 |
on July 30 2010 03:22:59
#2 |
on August 05 2010 09:54:40
#3 |
on August 10 2010 04:02:08
#4 |
on August 13 2010 02:45:06
#5 |
on September 03 2010 02:44:02
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