Hyacinth Paul

Dayton, Ohio, U.S.A.

Biography

Dr. Hyacinth Paul is an Artist in Residence at the Trotwood School District awarded by the OAC.  She is studying the role Arts in mental health and well-being.  She is retired scientist and Professor.  Her paintings are very colorful because she believes color sparks synesthesia and involuntarily evokes feelings of joy. Her mixed media work is done in fiber and textiles from India.  She started her artistic career in the 58^th year of her life.  She has over thirty-five solo/group exhibitions. She showcases her work in Dayton, has a gallery representation and a significant online presence.  She was awarded a grant to study Plein Aire painting at Provence and Barcelona by the MCACD.  She curates art for sale.  She has served on several boards in her community.  She is a strong advocate for the Arts and Mental Health through her extensive reach of speaking engagements and educates every chance she gets.

Statement

I migrated to the USA from India to continue postdoctoral studies in Biochemistry.  When I turned 58, I discovered a passion for painting and uploaded 70 artworks to a website, and was surprised at how colorful they were.  I questioned why that was and regressed back to my childhood to analyze my life. Color has been an integral part of my life as I used colorful clothing and surrounded my home in color to combat depression. Color uplifts my spirit every time I am depressed and wondered if color impacts well-being.  Could it be a cure for depression?  According to the World Health Organization, one in seven people in the world have depression and it is one in four in the US.  In my case, color causes Synesthesia and evokes feelings of joy. Synesthesia is the stimulation of one sensory pathway that produces an involuntary effect in a second sensory pathway.

My works allow me to use colors in myriad ways, to depict my ideas and thoughts I want to bring forth into the world.  I use oils, acrylics, watercolor, pastels, and mixed media. I want to find out why colors in my paintings and everyday life evoke feelings of joy within me and whether it is a brain chemistry or event that can be quantitated by questionnaires and physical measurements of the effects these colors have on the brain.

In order to convince the scientific community that color in paintings and art could have a direct relationship to the mental well-being of an individual; the relationship of color to the mental state of individuals must be assessed.  I am excited to see whether my artistic journey brings us closer to understanding the role of color on mental well-being and thereby effect positive policy changes towards all artistic disciplines.