As a kid, I used to play poker with my dad, and he always knew when I was holding face cards because I would get distracted studying the artwork on them. Playing cards have appeared throughout my career in various forms, most often as realistic charcoal renderings, but this piece is one of the more whimsical interpretations I’ve created. Rather than separating the figures into a traditional matched set, I combined both the king and queen into a single composition. I signed the piece twice so that it can be displayed with either character facing upright. Painted on concrete, the work incorporates copper heart elements that have been naturally patinated, while a vintage power tool blade anchors the center of the composition, adding texture, age, and a sense of history to the piece.