Sustained Investigation #3

Heart

Acrylic paint on canvas

16x20

Artist's Statement

This piece is the third in my sustained investigation, which explores the question “How can I create representations of parts of the human body using imagery/materials that reflect their purpose?” I chose to create a representation of the human heart (one of my personal favorite parts of the body to paint, I also painted it for my donate life design which was part of my inspiration for my sustained investigation) and include lines around it to show the blood flow the heart is responsible for. Not only does the 2D image of the heart represent its function, but the color and material of the paint also seem reminiscent of blood.

For this piece, I used a variety of red, magenta, yellow, and brown acrylic paints. I also used paintbrushes and a large canvas. I started out by making some conceptual sketches, then mixing a few different shades of yellow/pink to make a gradient for the background. I then did a light sketch of the heart over the dried paint, using my own previous painting for reference but mostly working from memory. Using red, brown, and a little bit of black paint I painted the heart itself and then using a variety of colors and a very small flat brush I added the wavy lines.

In this piece, I first used elements of color and value to create the gradient in the background that puts emphasis on the heart and adds a 3-dimensional aspect to the painting. The color of the heart and blood is also meant to be a more realistic representation of these parts of the human body. I also used lines to paint the blood flow, which contributes to the movement of the piece and is representative of the heat’s function. While I did do some sketches for the concept of this painting, it was probably the least pre-planned piece I’ve ever done. Most of the heart is from memory, I just went for it with the background, and the lines weren’t sketched beforehand. In fact, I wasn’t even sure how I was going to show blood flow until I started painting them. My next steps might be to tweak the lines a bit—one in the upper lefthand corner is a little to thick for my liking, and a little too twisted.