- Zachary Proctor, a cancer patient, creates paintings for Primary Children’s Hospital.
- His most recent artwork, titled “And a Little Child Shall Lead Them,” is inspired by his health journey.
- Proctor’s painting symbolizes empowerment and the support people need during medical challenges.
SALT LAKE CITY — Two new paintings will soon be on display in a waiting room at Primary Children’s Hospital. At first glance, they’re just whimsical art designed to appeal to the younger clientele. But upon closer examination, the paintings tell a much deeper story.
The artwork originated with a commission in 2021 from the Dale Johnson endowed chair for pediatric surgery, Dr. Eric Scaife. Hospital surgeons moved offices, and Scaife used the endowment to commission artist Zachary Proctor to create something to hang on the walls there.
Scaife left it up to Proctor to come up with the ideas for the images.
“Paintings that would give the kids a moment of escape, a moment away from what they were doing, dealing with,” Proctor said. “Nothing to do with the medical profession and something that a child can get lost in.”…