Med School Murals

In my third year of medical school I started to feel increasingly depressed. I was living in the UK for my clinical rotations and staying in a hospital flat at the time. I soon realized my ill mood was due to the fact that I hadn't done any artwork in over 2 years!

I woke up one Saturday morning with that revelation .... also with the instant desire to put a mural on my wall. Actually, "desire" is a weak word - I "knew" I had to do it - even though it wasn't my property ... and deal with the consequences later.

I got dressed and didn't even eat or shower before I took the bus to town and found an art supply store. I just bought the softest charcoal I could find and returned to the flat. For the entire weekend I started charcoaling the walls with almost no breaks. I was applying the charcoal with my bare hands and fingertips - working with the texture of the wall to mimic the grain of a black & white photograph. After a few days I lost my fingerprints and had to wait for them to grow back because it affected the charcoal application.

I finished my first one that weekend ... but soon I found myself doing more and more in the days to come - like some grand catharsis.

When my clinical rotation was done I informed the hospital of my "vandalism" to the flats and offered to paint over it or pay for the damages .... but they let it go after they saw it.

My next rotations were in New York and Connecticut at the hospital owned apartments I did the same ... I think the one in New York is still there.







the face in this last one is reproduced from a Man Ray photo I liked

great work's, i'm sure you felt alot better after getting your ART on after so long.

my life revolved around my art for 10 years. from age 10 - 20, even rented a booth at flee markets and craft fares at about age 12 to sell some of it.

then 1 day i just didnt feel like doing it anymore.

Quote: Originally Posted by iggk

Incredible work Xue, really moving. It would be awesome to actually see them in person I'm sure.

thanks Inde.

I especially like faces and hands.

The texture of walls was very interesting to work with. You can use them to convey all sorts of depth ... of course each wall is different. I suppose the UK walls were the most forgiving. The NY walls had this glossy paint that was really tricky and unpredictable, but it was also good for making very strong lines. The bald profile is from NY - it's probably my favorite of all of them - though each one means something for me.

Those look awesome. I wish I could draw like that.

Where exactly did you do your rotations? I'm a medical student in Manchester and I'm curious because I've met a few Americans doing their rotations here.

I was in a town called, Dudley in the Westmidlands for most of my training working at Russells Hall Hospital and Wordley Hospital.

Later I went to East Anglia for a couple of months.

I honestly think it's a shame that a lot of the time, the things we enjoy the most are overshadowed by the things we have to do the most. You've got a talent for artistry that is beyond most people's realm of being able to even comprehend, which is a great gift.

Why do you go to med school? Is it something you really like? You relate art to a catharsis, but what if you had that feeling every day of your life? Sure you'd be less well off, but it'd be an awesome thing to be able to do what you love.

Dunno, I'm just a bit jealous that someone with such ability and passion for the craft might not get the chance to completely enjoy it

Love the pics, btw.

I like medicine because helping other people in an objective way can be more satisfying than anything you can imagine. Saving a human life for the first time is a feeling that can't be matched - you feel good to your bones. And that state of mind is, in many ways, addictive.

When I was doing freelance design, a life centered around the visual arts started to feel ... narcissistic. Not to say it's true about all other people in the creative arts. That's just how it felt to me - maybe it's because I'm introspective by nature and I didn't want to give in to that tendency.

Life is too big to confine to self-absorption. I really wanted to give something real to the world - that's why I went into medicine.

wow, thats amazing work Xue! and the fact that you charcoalled it all by hand is, simply amazing. my favorites are the second and third, and the last one, it looks like you just unfolded a piece of paper and stuck it to the wall.

I must say again, really amazing...

Amazing. I must say, your passion is impressive. I'm not confident that I would go to the point of losing my fingerprints, even temporarily, for my art.

Heh, just goes to show how much further I've got to go.

I didn't know I would lose my fingerprints ... I just discovered by the second day that the charcoal wasn't as easy to apply - then I noticed my smooth fingertips. No big deal, really.

Incredible

very beutifull.

Wow, they look really good even just by the photos alone. The real thing would be a sight to behold.

Very, very nice work!
Big shame is that knowing what students in england are like the ones in england probably don't look like they started.
Would have loved to move into a room that had those in, it shows so much more character than the 'Ben woz ere' carved into the wall in my room in halls.

Sugoii Xue! This thread is nothing short of inspirational. That is a true gift you have there!

By the way, how long ago were these done and how long ago was your med school?

Wow. What may be most impressive is working GW into what has to be an extremely busy life. :P

I think you chose the wrong proffesion

Nah, I think he made the right choice. Rich doctor versus starving artist...not exactly a hard choice.