It's heart month. It's Valentine's month. It's Arts and Health Exhibition month at the Brick City Gallery in Ocala, FL! So of course I wanted to enter this art call with a small quilt expressing hearts as "The Rhythm of Life." That's the title of this piece. The exhibit is sponsored by Marion Cultural Alliance in partnership with HCA Florida Healthcare.
My artist's statement included with the quilt says this: "Our hearts beat continuously, often without us even noticing it. Therefore, caring for our hearts can be easily overlooked. Because heart disease is the leading cause of death, I wanted to underscore that we can be mindful to take steps towards improving our heart health and reducing the risk."
The EKG line is couched rat-tail cord and it ends in a hand-painted puffed heart. I tried something new in designing the entry. I consulted ChatGPT and Canva to find an image of a healthy EKG to base the quilt on. And I asked for some AI help in writing the artist statement above. That was a fun adventure, and eye-opening, too, mainly for the speed of response time.
Quite a few entries had a theme of heart health, perhaps because some of us have experienced heart problems. So that makes the theme ... ahem... "near and dear to our hearts". Pardon the pun. Join me for a look at some of the other entries on display.
"How Can You Mend a Broken Heart", oil painting, is the entry of Ellen Hosafros. She noted that experiencing heart health issues recently prompted her to reflect on personal responsibility for health and wellness.
This striking wood and brass sculpture calls attention to the center heart formed in the wood!
I always enjoy seeing stitching incorporated into media other than textiles. Here it is in wood! This is Brad Martin's entry titled "Mended Hearts". Brad stressed that art is a therapeutic healing process for body, mind, and spirit.
In this ink on paper entry, Joan Elizabeth illustrates her love for hand stitching on felt as a calming and meditative practice. I agree with her- I find it soothing, too. It's entitled "Open Heart."
Lorri Terbilcox relies on Scripture to inspire her art. This acrylic painting is titled "Matthew 5: 14-16" and depicts Jesus saying, "You are the light of the world..."
The exhibit is up all month long at 23 SW Broadway St., Ocala. It features many more lovely paintings, photographs, and mixed media pieces. I was pleased to learn that my quilt was purchased and will hang in a local health care facility.
