Hand over Heart

The work I make has always been an effort to get to the heart of the subject, to describe more than a likeness.  

Over time and through events of both joy and loss I became interested in how the heart physically reacts to emotional states.

What would my heart look like in extreme joy?  Would it spin? Would it burst?

What would our hearts look like side by side?

How would it feel to leave the body and enter the fresh air?

Where would my heart choose to wait for the inevitable?  

I painted each of these scenarios using my mark making to represent both motion and emotion.  

Eventually the movement of my mark and line became its own symbol.

Soon I asked my subjects engage with string, their interaction with this line became a way to explore the theme of potential. 

For me the process of creating is not purely about materials but about self discovery.  

It seems each time I undertake a serious project I find out more about myself, my values and what I am capable of.