About Paint Hearted

Every shift I work as an emergency medicine physician, I face the unique opportunity to be intimately part of my patients' lives for a brief snapshot in time. As much as I want to see my patients as the multidimensional and complex people they truly are, the limitations of time and resources often leave me no choice but to simplify the encounter into a digestible case with a clear history and physical, differential, assessment, and plan. Each patient is a distinct story I may never fully unravel, encompassing hopes, dreams, passions, cherished memories, disappointments, hardships, regrets, and much more.

Just like my patients, I am not a one-dimensional diagnostician.  At times in my residency training, I struggled with abandoning some of my ideals and expectations of medicine in place of some of the harsh realities of patient care and personal sacrifice.  During that time, I also sought an outlet that was not present in the hospital or in my studies.  Creating these paintings during my three years of residency helped me to explore a semblance of balance, reflection, adventure, and even joy within the demands of training. I found the process of molding each EKG into its own work of art restorative for myself and for those I have had the opportunity to share them with, teaching me that no matter the circumstance, my personal viewpoint and experience are both powerful and in my control.

This collection of paintings remind me that each EKG is only a glimpse of a person with a unique story to tell. Behind each routine encounter lies a mystery and depth that I am only cracking the surface of when I walk into the emergency department. 

Each painting originated from an actual copy of an EKG with all identifiers removed, transformed with acrylic paint and sometimes black ink pen. The original lines of the EKG are preserved and used as a guide to shape each piece.