Art Leads to Healthier Heart in Art of the Heart Event

SAN ANGELO, TX – Last night, the Vino Dipinte Art Gallery filled to the brim with close to 40 San Angelo residents eager to paint and learn some tips from Dr. Jack Sun, Interventional Cardiologist at Community Medical Center. These tips are part of “Art of the Heart,” a collaborative effort between the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health and San Angelo Community Medical Center to promote heart health.

Upon entering, guests were greeted with a small, delightful buffet and wine bar. Further inside, additional guests chose their seats in front of an empty art canvas.

As the guests continued to sip on their wine, Castanon explained the schedule for the night and gave several instructions on how they could use the artistic tools in front of them. He underscored, “The idea here is to be expressive and to have a good time.”

Dr. Sun then took the floor as the canvases became a kaleidoscope of colors.

In a short, yet informative, presentation, Sun emphasized that the “spiritual aspect of human health” was just as important as the scientific aspect of human health. In a shocking statistical fact, Dr. Sun informed the future San Angelo artists that 1 in 3 women die of heart diseases while 1 in 30 will die from breast cancer. Dr. Sun advised that the best way to make sure “our hearts live longer and beat stronger” is by “doing things like working on art projects, gardening, spending time outdoors,” or anything that is enjoyable and stress free.

Brenda, one of the attendees, was extremely excited about being "stress free" at the event, and said, “It is just so much fun, to get together with everybody. We get to paint, and it’s also just fun to relax and get together with your peers and have a night off.”

The owner of Dipinte Art Gallery, Alejandro Castanon, a military veteran, as well as an ex board member for the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health, said the event is “a fun mixture to get people aware and involved.” 

After close to six months of preparation, Dr. Linda Ross, regional director for the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health (LWBIWH) and Sheryl Pfluger, director of Business Development and Marketing at Community Medical Center (CMC), were both excited for the next event in the year long “The Art of…” series. Having previously combined forces to put together “The Art of Raising a Healthy Child” at the Art Museum, Dr. Ross said she is excited  “to do something fun” and unique for the community, as well as give guests the opportunity to “learn some heart healthy tips, get together with friends, and take some of the stress off,” which are “all good for the heart.”

Pfluger was also excited and extremely pleased, for the two-day event has attracted so much attention that it sold out. 

“People have been calling Alejandro and our offices trying to get in,” she said.

Unfortunately, tonight’s event is sold out; however, Ross and Pfluger are already preparing for more artistic events to help promote healthy choices in the community. LIVE! will keep the community informed of the next event as it becomes available. For more information on Castanon’s art gallery, and to attend similar ‘sip and paint’ events, please visit the Vino Dipinte Art Gallery homepage.