Matters of The Heart
An exploration and expression of emotions and experiences related to love and heartbreak.
On August 11, 2024, Matters of The Heart, my solo art show was brought to life at Kuali Studio Gallery in Atlanta. In this sold-out show, I displayed over 20 pieces of original artwork from my body of work, Matters of The Heart. This series [and art show] explores and expresses emotions and experiences related to love and heartbreak. Through the depiction of hearts, each piece is a story capturing the complex and often profound feelings associated with love, such as joy, passion, pain, and healing. The anatomical heart symbolizes the vitality of love and life, as everything we do flows from the heart- literally and figuratively. This artwork aims to resonate with viewers on an emotional level, allowing them to form a connection and perhaps see reflections of their own experiences within each piece.
Some of the pieces were created as early as 2021 and some were completed just a day or two before the show. While each piece was inspired by its own individual “matter” or experience, collectively we see that there are no limits to the heart’s range of emotions. The most interesting, and perhaps rewarding, part of the show was the feedback from guests. Different people connected with different pieces for various reasons and some pulled me to the side to open up about how and why they relate. As I paint my heart into each piece in my Matters of The Heart series, I tell a story of my personal experiences- but I tell them knowing that someone else will relate. There can be a level of comfort in knowing you are not alone in the things that you have or are experiencing. Being vulnerable takes a lot of courage because you are letting people in your world in such a way that you become emotionally naked. But by being vulnerable, I hope to inspire others to be comfortable and confident in exposing their emotions versus continuing to bottle it all in.
Aside from the normal display and discussions of the artwork, with my art shows and events, I aim to provide some other element that makes for a unique experience. In true Creative Revolt fashion, I wanted guests to tap into their creative side and freely express themselves by drawing, coloring, writing, etc on a 36x48-inch canvas. There were no rules as to what they could put on the canvas. There was also a raffle for a one-of-a-kind, hand-painted bottle of Casa Migos Reposado Tequila. Lastly, there were cards for everyone to anonymously write their favorite pieces with an explanation of why the piece(s) were their favorites. Three pieces in particular were the most commonly favored: Letter To Myself, Handle With Care, and Untitled (Digital Love).
One viewer reflected on Letter To Myself with the following thoughts, “With all matters of love, the best and most impactful love must be internal. Self-love is the root of joy and freedom. The artist did a great job writing to herself while allowing the audience space to peer into her heart.”
Handle With Care, is a mixed media piece with fragile stickers as the background while a melting black and white heart is the focal point. There is also a key and a flame seen in this piece which tells that a key is unlocking the heart with a flame ignited that is melting away the icebox that was once there; however, the heart is still in a fragile state and must be handled with care. One viewer saw, through this piece, the heart as being one of our most precious and fragile organs, and because of our anatomical protections for the heart, it isn’t supposed to be damaged.
The Untitled digital print, which displays a scripted “love”, caught the attention of many, and was one of the first pieces of the afternoon to receive a red dot (but because it is a print, you can also add this piece to your collection). Viewers commonly commented on how the abstract simplicity of the piece brought them joy. One viewer commented that this piece “expresses the free flow of love [and] the complexities that it can have. Although it is printed in black and white, it highlights the gray areas that love can sometimes fall in.”
Of course, throughout the show, I was asked which piece was my personal favorite. That is always a hard question to answer because each piece holds a special place with me for various reasons. One piece may be a favorite simply because it looks good to me and I’m in awe of how it turned out. Another piece may have a deep story that forced me to face some experiences and even undergo a certain level of healing in the process of its creation. Then some pieces posed a difficulty in the process of the creation, but in the end, it was everything I wanted, and sometimes more. However, the more I pondered on this question after the show, if I had to pick one favorite it would be Letter To Myself because that is probably the most authentic and vulnerable piece of art I have created thus far. While going through a breakup (which occurred 4 months before the show) I had to do a lot of self-reflection. With all of the pain I had previously endured and the pain that I was currently enduring, I had to go deep within and figure out what I had been doing wrong with myself. When it was all said and done, I had to make a promise to myself, so I wrote a letter one day and decided I would put it on the blank letter that I’d painted on canvas nearly a year prior. Then, when it was finished, I had to decide if this would be a piece I’d share with the world. To be honest, I almost did not share it, but I knew that I had to, and with the feedback I received, I’m so glad I did.
Overall, Matters of The Heart was a success in many ways. I’m so happy to have had the opportunity to share my heART with others. The only thing I would change about this show is that I did not get a chance to get photos with or of everyone who showed up. But I know there will be many more and I look forward to continuing to share this journey of my heart with others.
If you’re curious to know more about the inspiration behind each piece, be sure to follow my Matters of The Heart journal here on Substack, as well as my Instagram @ chantricerachelle. Feel free to leave me a comment- I would love to know if there is a piece that catches your eye and why.
