Have you ever known something in your heart, learned it by heart, felt it in your heart? Why does the heart get all the credit when we know something so well, so intimately; when we feel so strongly, trust so deeply, love so madly? Why don’t we say, I feel it in my head, my mind, my brain? Turns out there’s a whole history of heart vs. brain in the evolution of human physiological science. From ancient Greeks and Egyptians to medieval and modern medicine, even in biblical teachings, the human heart is the essence of being, the center of it all, the heart of the story, my story, your story, our story.
This collection of paintings and narratives capture indelible notches in time from my own childhood: memories from my past that shape my present consciousness and even my future outlook. They are memories I know and feel from deep in the pit of my being, but when shared, they become part of our story: Stories We Know by Heart. My hope is that these paintings resonate with you, the viewer, and bring to life stories you know by heart.
I would like to say thank you to the Metropolitan Arts Council and Centre Stage for the wonderful opportunity of showing my work and telling these stories. I am forever grateful for the places, things and moments in time that inspired these works, and more importantly for the people they represent. They all have written their Stories in My Heart. Thank you to my extended family for your part in raising me and for your help in gathering memories for this collection. To my sisters, Laura and Jenny, thank you for your help and support with this little passion project. You are an integral part of My Story and this story. Thanks for helping me put form to my memories. To sister Laura, thanks for putting words to my pictures. We finally did a project together. To my friend Johnny, thanks for proofing sis’ words, to Libby for helping with this website, and to my longtime partner, Greg Cordell, for giving this whole thing a Big Heart. There are still more stories to tell and pictures to paint.