I create nature art for hospitals.

It all began...

in 2003, when I started Henry Domke Fine Art. At the time, research was beginning to tell a compelling story about how patients exposed to nature, or even images of nature, healed more quickly, had less stress, and required less pain medication. I saw a need for better and more appropriate art for hospitals and medical facilities.

After 20 years as a family practice physican...

I had also begun studying fine art in a graduate program at the University of Missouri-Columbia. You could say it was the perfect storm, with art, healthcare, and myself coming together at just the right time – but without the nor’easter.

Much of my art is based on the native plants and animals...

that I find exploring my 600-acre “backyard,” where I’ve lived in central Missouri with my wife, Lorna, since 1981. Profit we make from the art sales is helping us develop that land into the Prairie Garden Trust, a nonprofit public nature garden.

I’ve also found inspiration farther afield in coastal landscapes, mountainous terrains, desert scenes, and seashells. Since 2011, fellow artist and friend Kevin Sink has added to my collection. So now Henry Domke Fine Art offers thousands of nature images from all over the country.

I continue to grow as an artist...

with sensitivity to the very real need for healthcare art. I read the literature and attend conferences to keep as up-to-date as I can on design and research trends. I’ve made valuable friendships with leaders and researchers at The Center for Health Design.

And I learn what people need...

I talk to interior designers and art specifiers about what they want to see for hospital rooms. I ask my clients how I can better meet their art needs. Some conversations made their way into my healthcare art blog. I turned that it into a book, The Picture of Health, which can be purchased as an ebook from Amazon.

And I’ve evolved to meet design demands. I now offer art on paper, canvas, and for use on glass, acrylic, metal, backlit panels and wall coverings as large as a billboard.

But the very best part of my job...

is hearing stories from patients who’ve seen one of my pictures in a hospital or doctor’s office and has been moved by it. There was the gentleman who was sure I photographed his grandparents’ farm, where he used to spend his childhood summers. And the woman who would come to the hospital early for radiation treatment, just so she could meditate on one of my pictures before her procedure.

That’s why, after a fulfilling career as a doctor, I continue to work, to create, and I hope, to heal.

Education

M.D. - University of Missouri-Columbia 1979
Family Practice Residency - University of Missouri-Columbia 1982

MFA Program in Painting & Photography, University of Missouri-Columbia
1998-2001

Independent Study with William Hawk, Assistant Professor of Art, Painting and Drawing
University of Missouri-Columbia
1996-1998

Independent Study with Annette Weintraub, Professor of Art, The City University of
New York 1995-1998