PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The head pediatric surgeon at Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence is looking to give back in a unique way.
Dr. Francios Luks is hoping his love of artistry will bring smiles and money to a place close to his heart. He has dedicated the last 27 years of his life to kids and now, he’s using his left hand for more than surgery.
“I doodle a lot,” Luks said. “People still make fun of me at conferences and meetings. I can’t sit still, so I doodle, and now I do it digitally.”
It’s a hobby he’s enjoyed for years, and it’s also a stress reliever.
“I enjoy doing it, and certainly the end results when it works out,” he said. “It’s what I do to relax when I’m not working. It’s certainly how I started.”
Drawing is a great way to communicate with families, according to Luks.
“Having a quick drawing is often clearer than a long explanation, so that’s what I use it most for during my professional life,” he explained.
He’s now using his artistic gift to create notecards and pictures of iconic locations around Rhode Island.
“There are so many landmarks in the Ocean State when you think about it,” Luks said. “It’s amazing for a small state. I know it’s a cliché, but you have so many recognizable landmarks and people say, ‘I know this place.'”
Many of Luks’ drawings are very familiar — Goat Island and the Newport Pell Bridge, the Providence Children’s Museum, the Hope Diner in Bristol, and the Big Blue Bug, just to name a few.
He says his favorite is the Foot Bridge in Providence because it’s a new landmark.
“I think Benefit Street came out really well because it’s hard to render the intricacies of all those buildings and try to make it simple, yet recognizable. I think I got the spirit of it,” Luks noted. “And I’m partial to the PawSox one because it’s already an old thing because it’s no longer here.”
Luks added that he also enjoys time-lapse artistry because it’s fun and there’s a little advantage of the program he uses.
“It’s really cool to see it even when you do it yourself,” he said. “It’s still kind of fun to watch it come together.”
Luks hopes his notecards will be a way to raise money for Hasbro.
“Everything we do, part of an organization, part of the community,” he said. “It makes sense this would be an extension of what I do on a daily basis. We’re here to help people and help each other and since this is fun for me and a way to occupy me, I figured if anyone is interested, why not make it a win-win situation.”
The basic sketch to the final product takes a couple of hours, Luks said. He’s hoping this new adventure of creating notecards will have a lasting benefit for the hospital.
As of last week, they have sold 50 to 60 packs of cards.
“I like to draw, and I don’t need the extra money because I’m not retired yet, and help raise a little money and awareness for the hospital? Why not?” Luks asked.
