Several years ago, during an office Secret Santa exchange, J. Philipp Othmer, MD, a psychiatrist at Lancaster General Health, drew the name of an employee with bare office walls. Though his art experience was limited to some books he’d recently bought to help his daughters learn to draw and paint, he decided to paint a picture for her. “A wonderful thing about the world today is how easy it is to learn anything,” he said. “You just go on YouTube. Or you can just buy a book and use YouTube to clarify anything.”
Othmer’s co-worker loved the flower he painted. In fact, he got so many compliments from both staff and patients that he eventually did a painting for each of his co-workers. Soon he was getting requests from all over the hospital where he worked.
Othmer’s paintings now decorate his office at LG Health Physicians Behavioral Health, where he has treated adults, children and adolescents since August. He finds that his painting hobby helps him connect with his family, patients and co-workers. “Painting is a lot of fun and a great stress relief for me,” he said. “I’ll probably do a painting for everyone here too. Usually I just ask what they want or like, and pick one that will be a new challenge.”
Othmer, who converted the basement bar into an art studio, appreciates the fun and challenge of learning to re-create a subject accurately. He said art offers an incredible way to bond with patients, who often comment on the paintings that hang in his office. Flowers in particular seem to express parents’ joy and relief when their child or adolescent gets better.
“Painting is relaxing for me because it’s obscure, it doesn’t ‘matter,’ and I can do it at my own pace,” he said. “It’s really rewarding to be able to see the fruits of your own labor emerge.”