Healing Outside – Charring Cross Hospital

Healing Outside (Triptych) was commissioned by Imperial Health Charity for the Chemotherapy Day Unit at Charing Cross Hospital. Developed through conversations with NHS staff and time spent within the department, the work responds to the experiences of those who provide care, creating a more welcoming and restorative environment for patients, visitors and healthcare workers.

The three-panel painting depicts nurses and other NHS staff in moments of rest, reflection and togetherness. Drawing on the visual language of Art Nouveau stained glass, the compositions combine sumi ink, acrylic paint, chalk and oil pastel to evoke the shifting qualities of dappled light passing through coloured glass.

Many of the scenes are based on photographs shared by staff during the research process, capturing moments of laughter, gardening, time in nature and family life beyond the hospital. These images are interwoven with medicinal plants, including sage, lavender, rosemary and cannabis sativa, foregrounding care as something that extends beyond clinical treatment and into everyday practices of healing, community and connection.