The Inspiration Behind the Heart of America & Veteran Heart

The Inspiration Behind the Heart of America and the Veteran Heart

"The symbolism of the 'Hardened Heart' is derived from its scarred appearance which, to me, is really an accumulation of the nicks and scratches we all experience in life. After creating the original 'Hardened Heart', I began to explore the many ways the heart has been referenced in literature. A series soon followed in which I developed colors to illustrate these literary references. Each is designed to express a different emotion, often associated culturally with the heart, using color and word combinations.

While attempting to physically break a heart for 'A Broken Heart', the two halves came out almost even. I visualized it in red, white and blue with the blue side slightly larger than the red to represent our current political demographics. The caption 'The Heart of America' just seemed to fit.

At first glance, politics may appear to be the 'Heart of America'. However, after looking deeper, it occurred to me that almost nothing we will ever face can really compare with the ultimate sacrifice made by our military. Whether as a volunteer or a draftee, these courageous veterans made the ultimate sacrifice when they represented our country on the battlefields of the world.

With that thought in mind, I created a special heart where the blue and red occupy equal space. Whether your political views are Democratic or Republican, I think we can all agree that the only appropriate caption has to be 'Veterans - The Heart and Soul of America'." - David Leese