Can wildlife art really help with stress and mental health?
For more than a decade, I worked in advertising and design, surrounded by noise, deadlines and glowing screens. In 2017 I stepped away to paint full time, and if I am honest, what I was really moving towards was that sense of stillness. Everything I know about oil on canvas I taught myself, one painting at a time, driven by a single aim: to capture the most unhurried moments of the natural world and hold them long enough to live on a wall. You can read more of that story if you are curious.
So, when someone tells me a painting has softened the feel of a room or given them somewhere to rest their eyes after a long day, I understand it straight away. That is not decoration doing the work. It is something more instinctive, and far more useful than that. Here is what I have come to understand about why nature settles us, even in painted form, and how to bring a little of it into your own home.
We are quietly wired to look for nature
What seems to happen when we slow down and look
Research into nature and wellbeing tends to point in the same direction. In one well known study, patients recovering from surgery in rooms with views of trees fared better than those facing a brick wall. Other work suggests that spending time in nature, and even looking at images of it, is linked to lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol and a calmer overall state. Psychologists Rachel and Stephen Kaplan described how natural scenes allow our tired, overstimulated attention to recover, much like a gentle walk outdoors can leave you feeling quietly restored. A painting cannot replace a morning in the bush, but it can offer a steady, reassuring version of the same cue, day after day, without you having to go anywhere.
Why a painting can help, not only the real thing
Choosing a piece that settles you
A few gentle pointers that tend to hold true:
- Lean towards softer, natural palettes for bedrooms and quiet corners, and save bolder pieces for the rooms where you gather.·
If your stress lives at your desk, do not forget the room where you work. A single calm scene facing you can change the whole feel of a workspace.
- Hang art at eye level, in soft, indirect light, somewhere you will pass it often. A piece you never quite see cannot do much for you. I keep a short list of placement tips if you would like them.
A few pieces made for stillness
People often ask where to begin, especially if calm is what they’re looking for. These are the three pieces I find myself coming back to.
There’s one painting I still find hard to walk past, the original Sunrise Opera painting. It began as a Queensland spring morning, magpies calling through jacaranda blossom. It carries a gentle, lived‑in energy that suits a room you want to feel awake, but never hurried. If you’d like to live with it first, the same scene is also available as a hand signed limited edition on canvas, and as an affordable open edition print.
Crimson Fella is my study of a crimson rosella, all deep, glowing colour and an easy, settled presence. It tends to become a quiet focal point in a room, and you can have it as the Crimson Fella original, or as a more accessible Crimson Fella wall art print.
Nurturing Mother follows a Pacific Black Duck guiding her ducklings across calm water at dawn, all soft light and quiet devotion. It’s the piece people most often tell me brings a lump to the throat. You’ll find it as the Nurturing Mother original, and as a Nurturing Mother wall art print if you’re working with a smaller space or a gentler budget.
Whichever piece you’re drawn to, my open edition wall art prints are the easiest way to begin, with free shipping Australia wide on every order. If you’re after something a little rarer, the limited edition prints are hand signed and numbered in small runs, while originals are one of a kind. And if you’re further afield, international enquiries are always welcome. There are also greeting cards, if you’d like to send a little of that calm to someone else.
Living with a piece once it is yours
Good art is meant to be lived with, not kept at a distance. An original oil painting, especially, rewards a little care over time, so I’ve put together a simple guide on caring for your original oil painting to help it keep its depth for years to come.
And if you’re deciding between an original and a print, I’ve also shared some honest thoughts on why a limited edition print can be worth it.
Frequently asked questions
Does looking at art reduce stress?
Research suggests that viewing nature, including images and paintings of it, is associated with lower stress and a calmer state. It is not a cure, and nothing here is medical advice, but it is a gentle, accessible support for everyday wellbeing.
Why does nature inspired art feel so calming?
We appear to be wired to respond well to natural scenes, an idea called biophilia. Nature imagery seems to ease mental fatigue and let our attention recover, which is part of why a quiet landscape or a softly painted bird can feel like a small exhale.
What kind of art is best for a calming space?
Choose pieces you genuinely connect with, leaning towards softer natural palettes and restful scenes for bedrooms and quiet corners. The emotional connection is what does most of the work.
Where should I hang calming art?
Somewhere you will see it often, at eye level, in soft indirect light, away from clutter and glare. Facing a desk or along a hallway you use every day works well.
A quiet moment, made to last
Science can explain a good deal of this, from the old wiring that reads nature as safe, to the slow drop in tension when we let our eyes rest on something green and unhurried. But you do not need a study to know how a painting makes you feel. Every time you pass a calm scene on your wall and feel your breathing settle, that is the whole point.
If you would like to bring a little of that quiet home, you are welcome to explore my original paintings, and if you send me a photo of your room, I will happily show you how a piece might look on your wall before you decide.
The ideas behind this piece
If you would like to read further, these are the foundational sources this draws on. I have kept the claims modest, as this is a general reflection and not medical advice.
Edward O. Wilson, Biophilia (Harvard University Press, 1984), on our innate affinity for nature.
Roger S. Ulrich, View through a window may influence recovery from surgery, Science (1984), on nature views and healing.
Rachel and Stephen Kaplan, The Experience of Nature (Cambridge University Press, 1989), on attention restoration.
