A Heart Beats Within — From Study to Meaning

Abstract mixed media painting of a human-like form surrounded by pipes and grids, rendered in red and blue tones with a glowing central heart.
A Heart Beats Within — mixed media and gouache on paper, 5 × 7 in., 2025.

“I paint with my back to the world.”
— Agnes Martin

 

A Heart Beats Within began as two bookmarks — a small experiment in hot and cold colors and the discipline of straight lines. Over time, they grew into a single image, a kind of reunion — part study, part meditation.

What began as practice became a reflection on structure and color — a quiet commentary on the merging of the mechanical and the self.

Cogs / The Living Machine — Process & Reflections

The 80/20 Principle

A vibrant abstract illustration depicting interconnected pipes, gears, and curved forms in vivid hues of orange, teal, and gold. The composition suggests a mechanical system that feels alive — forms overlap and flow with depth and rhythm, evoking the idea of consciousness and structure emerging from chaos.
Cogs / The Living Machine

While refining the work, I recalled a lesson I often shared with my students: the 80/20 principle. You can always keep working and perfecting, but there’s a point where the essence is present — where the piece is alive and coherent. This artwork marks that balance: form and meaning are clear without endless revision.

transformation and renewal — how structure and energy evolve through process.