I was inspired to create Broken Heart. Lucky in Love?, Drama Queen and Jackass from observations of my friends’ dating experiences, as well as my own. From what I’ve seen, people seem to put a lot of faith in the luck of the draw, especially regarding dating through the personals. Use of the personals seems to reflect society’s mindset that the person of your dreams is out there, but you just have to find them. But what are the statistics? How many ads do you look at before you respond to one? How many dates do you have to go on before you go on a good one? How likely is it that you’ll find someone you’d want to settle down with? In my opinion, these statistics are not all that different from gambling. It seems so arbitrary, random, and out of one’s control, that all one can do is put their faith in luck. Dating, therefore, is really a game of chance, only with this one you’re gambling with your emotions. While Lucky in Love? acknowledges that you must have faith in luck to find love, Broken Heart concedes that sometimes your luck runs out. Drama Queen and Jackass are people you’re likely to meet along the way.
The background of the four cards are constructed from personals ads from the San Francisco Bay Guardian, collaged onto canvas. The canvas “card” is mounted on green felt on wood.