My Heart Has Broken Open

16″ x 20″, Acrylic on Ampersand hardboard with 3/4 inch wooden cradle

In ‘The Power of Intention’ by Dr. Wayne Dyer, a woman describes her emotional experience as ‘heartbroken’ – but she also felt that her heart had ‘broken open’. That phrase stuck with me and sparked this image. In this third depiction of Griselda, Poundcake, her canine companion is introduced and sits by her side. The bird and heart imagery refers to an earlier piece – ‘Griselda Walks Away’. A black crow pokes its head out of a hole in Griselda’s torso and hands her a blue heart to accompany the many other blue hearts which she has tossed into the air behind her. This scene in My Heart Has Broken Open is one of observation, reflection, and passive discovery. During an early evening walk, these two are met by a revelation, an epiphany, in the form of a new scenario with the crow in the heart; to convey “Here I am-after leaving so much behind, I am still here.” The acrylic was thinned with glazing medium and applied in many thin coats with some scumbled paint over dry areas. The ‘black’ outline is a combination of Permanent Maroon, Prussian Blue, and Hooker’s Green making “Permanent Prussian Hooker’s Black.”