BOOKREVIEW #55 Lonely Heart by Tara McPherson

Like if you've had your heart broken

Tweet

You know me and my red hair fixation. I have my favorite book to blame, Still Life with Woodpecker. That book made red hair the most infinite thing for me. This redheaded road led me to Tara McPherson's art. Go on ahead, a world of mystic creations lie ahead after the jump.

Source

Suffice it to say, I had my rough moments last May. The heartbreaks of summer led me to Lonely Heart: The Art of Tara McPherson Volume 1 . The cover itself depicts her emotional expression through vibrant comics. If you are also nursing a faint heartbeat, you would find pleasure in the vivid world of Tara's palette.

Source

"Innocence and guilt. Mirth and sadness. Light and darkness. Love and hate. Art informed by life's duality. The compelling paintings and posters of Tara McPherson are a tour-de-force of creative tension, at once heartfelt and heartbreaking. Creating art about people and their odd ways, recalling many issues from childhood and adult life experience, McPherson creates images that are thought-provoking and seductive. People and their relationships are a central theme throughout her work. Tara's array of images includes numerous gig posters for rock bands, including Green Day, Modest Mouse, and Death Cab for Cutie, and advertising and editorial illustrations for a diverse group of clients. Her prints and paintings have been exhibited in galleries all over the world. Lonely Heart is the first printed collection of McPherson's work, a deluxe hardcover volume featuring her stunning silkscreen posters, illustrations, and personal works of fine art."

Nothing beats swimming in art when it comes to pleasing the senses. More than music, to me, art is a compelling beacon of change. Sure, music sometimes sway my mind and emotions to certain directions, but art, especially paintings and illustrations leave me pondering hard for meaning. Music, sometimes controls me with its crescendo and words. Art, with the absence of explanation, leaves me alone in search for understanding and contentment. Art is honesty in all of us. What we make out of it is closest to what we truly want to make out of things.

Flipping through the pages of Lonely Heart, I have to say I braced myself to break. I thought the book would make me sulk deeper into sadness; but I didn't. As much as her illustrations showed loss and pain, I felt grateful that I am one of those few souls who are open to those very vital experiences: loss and pain. The book showed numerous graphics on self-sacrifice and hopeless romanticism, something you wouldn't expect from such a PopCulture approach. Of course, all the more surprising to me was how the supposedly painful images left me feeling thankful for the journey.

Tara McPherson comic: How to Heal a Broken Heart

Source

Losing in battle is not always lost cause. Sometimes, we gain in losing; especially when we fight for the things or people we love. It's all about braving the storm and knowing that there's more to lose when we don't risk at all.

For more on Tara McPherson, visit her blog. To get a hold of her books, reach Fully Booked.

Don't forget to join my book giveaway! 11k entries and counting!

follow my lyst / make your ownLYST