Painted Hearts - Collecting

Last year, I created a post about my collection of milagro hearts. Above are some new additions to that collection - part Day of the Dead, part street art, part mask - they appeal to me with their whimsy and handpainted charm. I purchased these new hearts made from cardboard as pieces of artwork in a local Brooklyn shop. They were created by a local artisan/tv director named Jimbo Matison. Growing up, his family didn't have a lot of money so he would make his own toys from cardboard - action figures, robots, and hot rod cars. He later realized, "this is more than just making goofy stuff with cardboard, it has life and meaning. It's art."