My original idea for this painting was to paint the Three of Swords, a card that depicts a stylized heart run through with swords, on this panel shaped like an anatomical heart. A heart within a heart, if you will. But as I added more items around the card, this scene became something of a story in my head. The Three of Swords is a card of heartbreak and sorrow. I imagined someone with a heavy heart, sitting down with their tarot deck and a glass of wine. They light the candles, take a shaky breath, and draw the Three of Swords. Taking a gulp of wine, they set the card down and pick up the pendulum, heart sinking as it swings towards “No.” They grip their palm and scan for their heart line, but no matter what the method, it’s always the same answer.
We’ve all been this person, wanting a different answer or a solution to an unfixable problem. What was intended as a tongue-in-cheek “heart within a heart” painting morphed into a meditation on the way sadness and grief can take up so much space in our hearts. No matter how much we try to crowd it out or change the circumstances, sometimes all we can do is allow it the space it needs to move through.
Details:
Anatomical heart wooden panel with keyhole opening for hanging
~8” x 5.5”
Acrylic
Year: 2025
My original idea for this painting was to paint the Three of Swords, a card that depicts a stylized heart run through with swords, on this panel shaped like an anatomical heart. A heart within a heart, if you will. But as I added more items around the card, this scene became something of a story in my head. The Three of Swords is a card of heartbreak and sorrow. I imagined someone with a heavy heart, sitting down with their tarot deck and a glass of wine. They light the candles, take a shaky breath, and draw the Three of Swords. Taking a gulp of wine, they set the card down and pick up the pendulum, heart sinking as it swings towards “No.” They grip their palm and scan for their heart line, but no matter what the method, it’s always the same answer.
We’ve all been this person, wanting a different answer or a solution to an unfixable problem. What was intended as a tongue-in-cheek “heart within a heart” painting morphed into a meditation on the way sadness and grief can take up so much space in our hearts. No matter how much we try to crowd it out or change the circumstances, sometimes all we can do is allow it the space it needs to move through.
Details:
Anatomical heart wooden panel with keyhole opening for hanging
~8” x 5.5”
Acrylic
Year: 2025
