Rheum After 5: Dr. Umbreen Hasan, Painter

Dr. Hasan

She has also found her art allows her to help others.

“I’ve sold some of my paintings, with proceeds going to support both the Arthritis Foundation and survivors of acid attacks,” Dr. Hasan says. “It felt good to use my art as a way to give back to the community.”

Prior to the pandemic, Dr. Hasan began conducting art workshops, targeting beginning artists and those who wanted to experiment with new techniques, such as working with alcohol inks. She stresses in her workshops that painting doesn’t have to be a career; it can be a way to destress and find joy.

“There’s no one way to create art—it’s something everyone can do—but I think as we get older we don’t engage in artistic endeavors; we can lose that creative spark,” she says. “I tell my students not to worry about what others might think and encourage them to paint for themselves and to put their emotions on the blank canvas.

“I firmly believe art can assist people both mentally and physically,” she says. “I’d love to open a studio someday and teach art to people with arthritis as well as those who have anxiety and depression.”

Dr. Hasan has sold artwork through Instagram and her website, and has exhibited her work at the Maple Grove Arts Center and other venues. A recent project is an art installation that will premiere this year at the Minnesota-Saint Paul International Airport.

“Recently, my youngest son, who is 14, asked me if he could try his hand at painting in my studio,” Dr. Hasan says. “It was nice to see him wanting to express his own creativity.”

Linda Childers is a health writer located in the San Francisco Bay Area.