David Navarrete

A lot of great things arrive unbeckoned. So, it was with me when I stumbled upon the world of biophilic design, the visual arts for healing, and the neuroscience of illusions. I was offered a position as a writer and research at an artist’s studio called Sky Factory. The first thing the founder gave me was a ticket to Boise, ID, as we drove for hours into the heart of the high desert to experience wide open space. On top of Steens Mountains (9,700+ feet), I saw Earth’s Shadow creep across the vast desert playa 5,000 feet below until it reached the distant eastern horizon line, opposite the setting sun, and its dark, otherworldly blue-gray band presaging the coming of nightfall. It was in the high desert that I recognized the deep beauty of the zenith and twin horizon lines, the sun setting in the west and a glorious full moon rising (simultaneously) in the east, and how with a painter’s lifelong sensibility, an artist can record the experience of vastness through a much smaller opening—a canvas for healing in enclosed interiors. This love of deep beauty in depth perception had a powerful application creating illusory skies that could tap into the lived experience of the afflicted and provide a peaceful balm in stressful environments. That was my introduction to Sky Factory. Twenty-three years later, the company’s illusions of nature are found in all Top 20 American hospitals ranked by U.S. News & World Report (2025-’24) and leading hospitals around the world.