August 27, 2009 – I finished the narratives today for the entire suite for the Florence Nightingale exhibit.  It has been an exhausting effort, and I hope I was able through seven paintings and two Legend panels of ephemera able to capture the essence and character of Florence Nightingale.  It was certainly a stretch of my capabilities as an artist, and I welcomed the challenge.  I hope folks enjoy the narratives in order that each may learn about the history of modern nursing and the life and times of nursing pioneer, hospital administrator, statistician, hospital designer, and author, Florence Nightingale.

I’ve nearly completed the suite of paintings now. The two “legacy” towers include ephemera from Florence and her life and times, including a 10″x14″ bronze plaque with her Nursing Pledge; stamps and the ten pound sterling British currency note, original carte de vista (calling card) with her Kilbern photo and signature on the back, return envelope from the U.S.S. Nightingale, a signed Christmas card from Florence to her neice, Joan Bonham-Carter, and more. I am excited about the Florence Nightingale exhibit as it is being readied for 2010 and the celebratory efforts going on around the world in her honor. It’s been a very busy three months!

I am busy completing the nine paintings for the upcoming show at the Karpeles Museum on September 11 (Jacksonville, FL). They will include a portrait of Florence before she left for the Crimean War, six “points of inspiration” paintings depicting those life-changing times that formed her character and passion, and two what I call “tower” paintings. The tower paintings include ephemera from the times and bring the viewer through the history of nursing from gentlewoman times to today, noting Dr. Jean Watson as the global leader of “caring science”, the future direction of modern nursing. This journey has been very exciting for me, and I hope as the blog continues to grow we will all enjoy reading about why people have chosen the field of nursing as her or his life’s work. Thank you for joining this blog, and please share this historical narrative opportunity with your friends and colleagues.

When I began researching for the words and images to include in my exhibit at the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum (Jacksonville, Florida, USA), I wanted to find out who and what inspired Florence Nightingale to become a nurse, what were those pivotal points of light in her life.  I visited the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, first to view their prints and photographs, then the manuscripts, for visuals and words to include in my paintings. Next, I was off to London to do more research and visit Lea Hurst, her childhome home, and the Florence Nightingale Museum. Finding those points of influence became key as I began to transform the images into the structure of each painting. As I delved more deeply into  Miss Nighingale’s life, I realized I had never asked my late mother, a Registered Nurse, what was her inspiration. The thought occured to me that others, too, may be interested in knowing and sharing the answer to this question, “Why did you become a nurse?” The Nursing Inspiration Project was born. My heartfelt hope is to provide a library of these inspirational stories. One day, I hope to compile some of these  in a book framed by my journey as part of this project. These stories outline the sincere caring nature and dedication to human compassion of nurses around the world, each of whom we depend on in our own healing process. Please join me by sharing your story – thank you.

Mulrain is a member of The National Arts Club and the National League of American Pen Women.