Expressive, interpretive paintings by Julia B. Blake on exhibit at Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island (HHCRI), the state's leader in hospice and palliative care since 1976, highlights the work of Rhode Island artists in its fourth season 2014, at its 1085 North Main St., headquarters in Providence.

Making art accessible through public and private partnerships is just one of the objectives that makes Public Art Works, a group of professional Rhode Island-based artists, an important entity in the promotion of art in public space. Public Art Works (PAW), began working with HHCRI toward the end of 2009. "Like the expressive arts therapies, the arts in healthcare movement recognizes the arts, creativity, and imagination as agents of wellness and their consistent and central presence throughout history as healing practices. Embracing the arts as part of patient care and improving the quality of hospital environments by incorporating music, dance and visual art, is the essence, as well as the heart and soul, of the arts in healthcare." – Nancy Gaucher-Thomas, Public Art Works.

"We are so enjoying Julia's beautiful paintings! The detail and color in her outdoor scenes is a delightful breath of fresh air after a long, gray winter," said Diana Franchitto, president & CEO of Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island. "We are happy to share Julia's work with our patients' family members and other visitors to our inpatient center. And we are grateful to Julia and Public Art Works for allowing us to display them."

Award-winning artist Julia Blake recently started painting again after several years away from the easel. She has an impressive ability to work across many styles from abstract to figure. She tends to use vivid colors, high contrast and bold strokes to create aesthetic and meaningful works. As an artist she was a peer- and client-nominated finalist for 40 Women to Watch Over Forty - a list of 'women in the world who are innovators, role-models and makers, creating momentum and changing the world'. Her art is in private collections in several states from Hawaii to Massachusetts. Julia lives in the Boston area with her husband and their six children.
Artists interested in submitting their work may visit www.publicartri.com for additional information. For more information about Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island's services, visit www.hhcri.org or call 401-415-4200.


Public Art Works
Public Art Works is a group of professional Rhode Island based artists working to promote art in public spaces. Inspired by a shared belief that art is essential for the common interests and well-being of the community, Nancy Gaucher-Thomas, Kenneth Speiser and Merle Mainelli Poulton have joined together in a collaborative effort to identify and/or create site specific works of art for public and private installation.

Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island
Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island, the major teaching affiliate for hospice and palliative medicine of the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, is the largest hospice in Rhode Island and the second oldest in the nation. For more than three decades, HHCRI has been a leader in hospice and palliative care, compassionately and skillfully providing comprehensive medical, emotional and spiritual care. With a vision to enable patients, their families and loved ones to have a meaningful experience during a difficult time, HHCRI helps people live out their lives with comfort and dignity.