A HEARTWORK

“Hello Merlyna, I was overcome with emotion when I see the “A Broken Heart” […]. I had been through an incredibly dark journey. In my life, and I wouldn’t have made it without the incredible love and support from my wife and daughters. This picture captures my struggle, and the needle and thread is clearly my wife and children. I would be so incredibly grateful if you allowed me to purchase this from you, I don’t know if you sell signed copies. […] I can’t adequately express in words alone what this means to me, I was so incredibly moved….“

Someone emailed me a month ago.

I didn’t plan to sell signed copies during the exhibition, but this email caught me off guard. His message touched me so deeply; I couldn’t say no. It truly humbles me to know how meaningful the artwork is to this person — someone who just survived an open heart surgery weeks earlier.

The “Hands” project was personal. Each artwork was either based on deep personal observation or experiences. I can’t share much here, but suffice to say that this one was born out of a personal journey diving into (and overcoming) my own darkness.

So, here is a photo of a signed copy of my artwork (or, specially for him I called it “a heartwork”) taken at his office.

February is Heart Awareness Month. So it’s only appropriate to post this before the month of February ends.

#handsbook #februaryheartmonth

Mending (A Broken Heart)
Merlyna Lim, 2019
Graphite and digital pencils on paper
24 in x 18 in