The Studio Videnda Philosophy
In a nutshell, our philosophy about art is very simple: it’s about your artistic philosophy, and helping you define and apply it. What is art, to you? More than that, what do you want art to be and do, for you or others?
The name of the studio reflects our belief that art can be applied to everything. “Videnda” is a Latin word meaning “that which must be seen because it marks the character of a person, place, or thing.” Everything has a Videnda – a core characteristic or attribute – which we help clients showcase. Through art, we help clients creatively identify and express their own Videndas – what the client finds meaningful and important – be it personal or organization-related.
The customized nature of our art is what sets us apart. We work closely with our clients to help them use their specific talents and insights in our mutual creations. We’re delighted to work with any entity that sees value in what we have to offer, whether an individual, large corporation, small business, family, sports team, whatever.
The universe is our sandbox. Let’s play!
Don Watenpaugh, the Artist and scientist behind studio videnda
Dr. Watenpaugh always knew he was an artist, but earlier careers superseded this pursuit. Science came first. He earned his PhD in physiology from University of California, Davis. He has over 130 publications on topics including environmental toxicology, exercise physiology, cardiovascular function, thermoregulation, gravitational physiology (spaceflight), sleep biomedicine, and general / integrative physiology. He tends to avoid specialization because he enjoys learning new things. He has been honored to work with countless fantastic collaborators and research teams in labs in academia, NASA, Danish and French space research centers, and the US Navy. In the mid-2000s, he was invited to become a PhD-clinician a large and growing sleep medical practice. He earned board certification in sleep and circadian rhythm medicine, and then directed the sleep clinic and laboratory for 13 years. His CV provides much more detail [see here], and a PubMed search of “watenpaugh d” shows much of his peer-reviewed publication record.
His myriad personal interests include cycling, football (both types), orienteering, sports in general, rock skipping, aviation, poetry, and music (he is an accomplished cornet player).
Don’s many publications, presentations, and patient interactions during scientific and medical careers gave him a strong understanding and appreciation of data visualization. Like a picture is worth a thousand words, a single, well-designed graphic of key variables can provide an understandable and compelling summary of a research finding or clinical test result. But how do we go from a dry, sterile chart or graph to a beautiful or arresting artwork? How do we use data in an imaginative way to artistically illustrate an event, company, organization, person, family, or anything? How do we combine scientific acumen with artistic principles and techniques to make mere numbers visually captivating?
Don’s mantra in science is “Let the data decide the experimental outcome.” In medicine, it is “Let the patient’s signs, symptoms and response to treatment decide the clinical outcome.” Now in the world of art, he asserts: “Let the data inspire and drive the artistic outcome.” He is devoted to this goal for his own interests as well as yours.
