Forest Bathing:Closer to Fine
Watercolour & acrylic on cradle board
16 h x 31 w inches
$500
Shinrin-Yoku* (“forest bathing” or “taking in the forest”) became popular in Japan in the 1980s to offer people an antidote to technological burn-out. Subsequent research in the 1990’s supported the benefits of walking, sitting, or lying down in a forest setting.*
Similarly, in Canada, any licensed health-care professional, “from doctors to nurses to physiotherapists” can give out nature prescriptions, according to the PaRx website. Under the program, which began in 2020 in British Columbia and is now available in every province, health care providers can prescribe passes that allow between ten to a year’s worth of visits to regional parks, national parks, zoos, and other outdoor areas. Jennie McCaffrey, vice president of health and education at the B.C. Parks Foundation, said the program was started not just to connect people to nature, but also to advance conservation. "It's been really proven that when people are connected to nature, they're more likely to engage in pro-environmental behaviours for the long-term," she told CBC Hamilton. The foundation is hoping that integrating nature into daily life becomes a "social norm," and the "fourth pillar of health."**
This painting is an imaginative exploration of a forest bathing experience. It speaks of the human need for community, individual growth, and relationship with the natural world.
*paraphrase from National Geographic, October 18, 2019
** adapted from CBC News, “Want to get a prescription for nature access in Canada? Here's how it works”, January 4, 2025
Watercolour & acrylic on cradle board
16 h x 31 w inches
$500
Shinrin-Yoku* (“forest bathing” or “taking in the forest”) became popular in Japan in the 1980s to offer people an antidote to technological burn-out. Subsequent research in the 1990’s supported the benefits of walking, sitting, or lying down in a forest setting.*
Similarly, in Canada, any licensed health-care professional, “from doctors to nurses to physiotherapists” can give out nature prescriptions, according to the PaRx website. Under the program, which began in 2020 in British Columbia and is now available in every province, health care providers can prescribe passes that allow between ten to a year’s worth of visits to regional parks, national parks, zoos, and other outdoor areas. Jennie McCaffrey, vice president of health and education at the B.C. Parks Foundation, said the program was started not just to connect people to nature, but also to advance conservation. "It's been really proven that when people are connected to nature, they're more likely to engage in pro-environmental behaviours for the long-term," she told CBC Hamilton. The foundation is hoping that integrating nature into daily life becomes a "social norm," and the "fourth pillar of health."**
This painting is an imaginative exploration of a forest bathing experience. It speaks of the human need for community, individual growth, and relationship with the natural world.
*paraphrase from National Geographic, October 18, 2019
** adapted from CBC News, “Want to get a prescription for nature access in Canada? Here's how it works”, January 4, 2025