Artist Leanne Venier showcases her evocative and vibrant abstract oil paintings in a solo exhibition titled “Effective Color: Using Light & Color Frequencies in Medicine”, which explores the healing effects of color. The exhibition will be on display at the UT Southwestern Library from October 11, 2011, through January 29, 2012.
“Technology is finally catching up with what’s been proven in Eastern medicine and numerous other cultures for thousands of years,” remarks Venier. “The use of color and light can bring healing, wellness, and tranquility into our lives. This exhibition showcases how we can all use this knowledge to lead more productive and healthy lives.”
Venier earned her engineering degree in Michigan and then moved to California to work on submarine design for Lockheed Martin. In her spare time, she began exploring numerous aspects of holistic healing including the connection between mind and body and the healing effects of color.
“I’ve been interested in the body’s innate ability to heal itself since I was young, refusing to take even aspirin as a child,” recalls Venier. “I would tell my mother that my body would ‘fix’ itself.”
After several years in California, she decided to move to Italy. It was while she was in Italy that she began her study of the healing arts in earnest. After Italy, she moved to Austin to study acupuncture and then to British Columbia to complete her studies where she started a healing practice working with cancer patients.
Venier has dedicated almost two decades to the study and practical use of holistic healing methods and color therapy.
“I’ve always been interested in how various colors are tied into our psyche and more importantly how they affect us on a physical and emotional level,” says Venier. “We are, in fact, so influenced by color, that by simply noticing which colors we’re drawn to at any given time, we can gain insight into where and how we need to bring balance back into our lives. My goal with this exhibition is to give both lay people and medical practitioners simple tools they can use to bring both themselves and others back into a state of health, wellbeing, and balance.”
Venier, a self-taught artist, has only been practicing her craft for the last four years. She was awarded grand prize of the Jury for Outstanding Artwork in Vico del Gargano, Italy in 2008. Then in 2009, she was selected from thousands as a finalist for the prestigious Hunting Art Prize in Houston. This exhibition is the second solo show that Venier has had at a medical university.
Artist Leanne Venier in front of her artwork