Art in Oral Surgeon’s Office Honors Mother, Helps Calm Anxious Patients

Patients arriving at the office of , may at first think they're in the wrong place. Instead of a typical neutral-toned dentist's office waiting room, they are immersed in an eclectic blend of antique furniture, wood finishes and decorative rugs. Lining the walls are large paintings in vibrant colors that instantly command your attention.

"I wanted to make our patients feel at home," explained Marie Pruden, Dr. Pruden's wife and the practice's office manager. "I was very conscious not to give an institutional feel."

But as much as the overall feel of the décor was deliberate, the choice of the artwork was a spur of the moment decision. And its source, while not close to home, was decidedly close to the heart.

Dr. Pruden had been practicing in Huntington Village for nearly 25 years when in 2008 an expiring lease prompted him to seek new office space. The Prudens settled on a property at 75 Prospect Street and began renovating the existing building there. After an accidental electrical fire consumed the original structure, they chose to construct a new, separate building on the property.

"We were in the middle of designing the new office space when I had to go down to my mom's house in Florida," Dr. Pruden said.

Norma Pruden, his mother, had passed away some time before, and Dr. Pruden was now faced with the task of settling her estate, which included a home and two on-site art studios with hundreds of her paintings.

Norma, who as a young woman had worked at Vogue magazine and attended the Sorbonne in France, always had an artistic eye. But it wasn't until she had raised her three sons and been widowed that she found her true artistic outlet. At the age of 71, Norma took up painting, and she did it at a furious pace. Her favorite subjects were food and plants, and thus her "Jewels of Nature" collection was born.

"So, we're down in Florida and I'm looking at this houseful of paintings," Dr. Pruden recalled. "And at the same time back in Huntington, we have this office with a lot of bare wall space to be filled. We had a built-in solution."

The Prudens immediately made arrangements to have all the paintings shipped to New York.

In the office, the paintings provide a welcome diversion for nervous patients. "People love to look at the art in the waiting room," said Dr. Pruden, "and the artsy folks analyze every line and brush stroke."

But the paintings aren't only in the waiting room. "Every chair in operatory faces a painting," the doctor noted. "So patients always have something interesting to look at."

Judging by patients' reactions and comments, Dr. Pruden said he thinks the art has a positive, calming effect. "It helps to have a distraction ... something different to focus on," he said. "It makes me happy to be able talk about my mother, and the patients seem to enjoy hearing the stories."

Dr. Pruden said he is certain his mother would have approved of her paintings being on his office walls, where so many people get to enjoy them. "Before she passed, she had several museum shows," he said. "And now this office is her permanent collection."

For more information about Dr. Pruden, call 631-421-2471 or visit his office at 75 Prospect St. (rear building), Suite 401, in Huntington.