While the original Shattered Heart is no longer available, 10 Limited Edition Fine Art Prints are being made available for purchase. Each print will have an original signature and be numbered. Each 11" (w) x 14" (h) will be matted to 16" (w) x 20" (h). Here are my thoughts about Shattered Heart.
I used to hear people say life was challenging & relationships took such effort. I didn't get it. I generally felt optimistic/ eager for next steps/ with a "sunnyside up" approach! But lately I've seen their point/ their questioning/ searching and weariness. I get it. I don't necessarily like it, but I do understand it more and more. The need for rest, renewal, restoration, even rescue is very real. The longer I live here, this side of heaven, the more my heart aches. Perhaps it’s a longing for home. Don't get me wrong, I do know and recognize my blessings. I am loved by my Creator and Savior of my soul. I am married to a man I both love and like. I respect him and appreciate who he is in all ways. My family and friends are genuinely loving and loyal and supportive, and I seek to reflect that love in kind. I don't always easily relate or translate to loved ones. But I am always glad we share life's path with one another. We are all learning and changing and growing. And I pray that we grow "upward" & together. Still, there is a certain grieving that comes with caring. Empathy both hurts and heals simultaneously. As I age, I am more aware of how the heart shatters. That pain is a price for loving deeply. Yet in the brokenness of grief, the fractured shards can still catch light & even shimmer; they radiate beauty. Beauty born of pain yields purpose, passion, and eternal peace in understanding that arduous process. And so, tears can be cleansing and, in the end, allow for clearer vision to see the beauty in broken places.
As I sketched/ reflected/ pondered...
~Adding some elements where there are gaps...
~Allowing the emptiness to breathe and show through...
~Learning that not everything must be covered...
~There are many colors in the palette of pain...
~There are dots & dashes/ starts & stops that create a maze of deja vu/ tedious familiarity...
~There is both force and finesse, hard points and blurred lines, shadows and sharp edges...
~The tinged/ singed colors bleed, mingle, merge, and morph…
~Stopping. Taking a breath is required.
I still couldn't quite put my finger on the feelings/ message/ meaning of the sketch to articulate it properly. Then recently, I read a post from Ann Voskamp. That! Yes, what she said! And once again, I'm reminded of shared experiences. We are not broken down and alone. We are breaking open together!