The Perfect Heart — Live Edge Oak & Padauk Art with Copper | Handcrafted Wood Heart Art
$295.00
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In stock
Perhaps you know this parable, in which case you already understand this piece. Otherwise, read on—because Sar did not just build art; he built the story itself in wood, copper, and time.
One day, a young man stood in the middle of town proclaiming that he possessed the most beautiful heart in the entire valley.
A large crowd gathered, admiring his heart because it was perfect, possessing not a single mark or flaw. Indeed, everyone agreed it truly was the most beautiful heart they had ever seen. The young man, feeling very proud, boasted even more loudly about his beautiful heart.
Suddenly, an old man appeared at the front of the crowd and said, “Why, your heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine.”
The crowd and the young man looked at the old man’s heart. Although it beat strongly, it was full of scars. Places existed where pieces had been removed and others put in, but they did not fit quite right, leaving several jagged edges. Furthermore, in some areas, deep gouges showed where whole pieces were missing. People stared, wondering how he could say his heart was more beautiful.
The young man looked at the old man’s heart, saw its state, and laughed. “You must be joking,” he said. “Compare your heart with mine. Mine is perfect, whereas yours is a mass of scars and tears.”
"Yes," the old man said, "your heart looks perfect, but I could never trade with you."
He explained that every scar represents a person to whom he has given his love. "I tear out a piece of my heart and give it to them," he continued, "and often they return a piece of their own, which fits into the empty place in mine." Nevertheless, because the pieces are not exact, he cherishes the rough edges, as they remind him of the love they shared.
Sometimes, the old man has given pieces of his heart away without receiving one in return. These empty gouges represent the risk of giving love. Although these gouges are painful, they stay open, reminding him of the love he still holds for those people, and he hopes that one day they might return to fill the waiting space. "So now," he asked, "do you see what true beauty is?"
Silently, the young man stood with tears running down his cheeks. He walked up to the old man, reached into his own perfect, beautiful heart, and ripped a piece out. With trembling hands, he offered it to the old man. The old man took this offering and placed it in his own heart; then, he took a piece from his old, scarred heart and placed it in the wound in the young man’s heart.
It fit, but not perfectly, as some jagged edges remained. The young man looked at his heart, realizing it was no longer perfect in shape, yet it was more beautiful than ever, since love from the old man’s heart now flowed into his. Together, they embraced and walked away side by side.
The Piece
Standing twelve inches tall and two to three inches thick, this live edge oak slab carries its own history, which predates Sar’s intervention. The dramatic natural edge, left raw and irregular exactly as the tree surrendered it, sweeps down the left side, requiring no filler for its rough places. Sar preserved this living boundary in its original state—imperfect, unrepeatable, and all the more beautiful for it.
Cut into the lower section, a smooth, symmetrical, almost too-perfect heart-shaped space contrasts with the exterior. Suspended within this void, a hand-carved padauk heart hangs from a small copper hook.
Unlike the void, this inner heart shows imperfections.
It is held together with a copper plate, bound with wire hand-stitched across a visible crack, and anchored with screws. Clearly, this heart has been broken and subsequently repaired, wearing each repair openly without apology.
Ultimately, it is the most beautiful heart in the room.
The Parable
The old man in the parable understood something the young man had not yet learned: a heart unmarked by love has never truly lived. Therefore, the gouges, patches, and stitched-together places are not flaws, but rather the record of a life fully given.
Sar built this truth into the padauk and copper. Just as love deepens, the warm reddish-brown of the padauk will darken over time, and like human skin, the copper will age and patina. Meanwhile, the oak holds everything together, representing the steady, strong support of loved ones.
Consider giving this to someone who has loved deeply and lost, or perhaps to someone currently rebuilding. It serves as a perfect gift for a couple celebrating decades of imperfect, beautiful, committed love, or as a reminder to yourself that your scars represent a heart that showed up.
This is not merely decor; it is a conversation piece hanging on your wall.
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