Princess of Hearts Painting

Mixed media painting on paper. Features outfit by Alessandra Rich, Miu Miu headband, Dolce & Gabbana heart-shaped sapphire ring and Gucci anatomical heart clutch bag motif. Comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist. Prints available. Please visit www.martynajan.com STORY: In the fourth grade, my classmate and I were chosen to represent my class in the Miss & Mister competition. I was not a shy kid at all and went wherever I was offered. Mom used to say I was the best, that’s what I believed. For the competition, she dressed me in a dark blue tight trouser suit and braided my hair then pinned them up to my head with a claw hair clip. I hated the braid, together with the suit it made me feel somehow uncomfortable as if I looked too grown up and boring. Anyway, I still thought I was great and winning the contest would not cost an effort. During the competition, various tasks had to be performed and we had to compete with each other. I remember having to dance in pairs, and the dances were judged by the commission and, of course, watched by the parents. As I danced, I began to feel even more uncomfortable, my arms and legs became motionless, I didn’t know how to move and what to do. The whole time I watched a couple dancing next to me, more precisely a girl dressed in a white blouse with a lace collar. She knew how to dance gracefully and fun, was not afraid at all and even her hair was loose, running down hair spine. A few more tasks followed, but I remember most of it only for girls. We needed to unwrap the chocolates from the papers as fast as we could by using teaspoons. Of course, that girl was right beside me, she won, while I was completely struggling to fight that candy. At the same time, I was trying to figure out why unwrapping a chocolate with teaspoons could make me become someone not as good. There was no way I understood that, I only know that I was overwhelmed for the first time by a feeling of complete failure. Finally, Mister was first announced. He became my classmate and I felt a relief because it meant Miss would be me. After all, it couldn’t even be otherwise - we represented the same class. But oh surprise - that girl was announced a winner Miss. They two got a prize, a dessert, and no one paid attention to me anymore. I felt that there was some injustice here, and that those tasks were kind of stupid - how could they tell who was better or worse? It was illogical, but it made me start comparing myself to other girls. I became silent, reserved, shy, and if in any case I was lucky for something, I always thought I was the last to choose. Today I am waiting at the otoneurologist consulting room. The nurse pops out, hands the stapled paper to sign, says there’s a table around the corner with a pen for patients (well, because of the pandemic). I can't find a pen there, but another nurse comes out, and I ask for a pen. She warns me to return it once I’m done. So I’m signing the papers. The sheets are stapled so tightly that it is hard to see what is written at the beginning of the lines. I hardly had space for my full name in the first line but it seemed the bottom one was for a personal code which the nurse did not say to write down. I leave it blank. I give back the pen and wait at the consulting room again. As I waited, I flipped through the pages, and when I folded harder, I saw that the bottom line was not for the code, but for the last name. The nurse comes out, takes my paper. A minute later she comes out again, saying I wouldn’t turn over and sign on the other side. I immediately ask for a pen, signing. Coming back. Waiting. Give the papers to a nurse. After a while, a tiny woman comes out of the consulting room and invites me in. Without saying anything, I stand up, enter the room, ask where to put my handbag and sit in the chair. The woman sits in front of me, I see a doctor’s card. I think: shoot, I didn’t greet the doctor. They run two tests for me: I try not to move, breathe quietly and not to show how uncomfortable it is. The result is that everything’s fine, I am healthy, and there is simply no cause for the ear discomfort that I constantly feel. They say maybe it’s just stress. I thank the doctor and leave. As I walk down the hallway, the tension subsides a bit, I think how stupid it was of me to almost get lost on the way to the clinic. I am in the locker room now and feel my clothes are wet from the cold sweat. I can only think how many goofs I had counted while waiting and that probably the clinic staff thinks I am a complete gawk. So I am told I am healthy and I still feel like unwrapping a chocolate with a teaspoon.

Painting:Acrylic on Paper

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:25.6 W x 35.4 H x 0 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.