Why do love messages get so gloomy? They say, “True love never dies.” But it does, a million times! It swoops and soars, dips, wavers, curls up like it’s asleep, and pops back out smiling.

It’s an experiment. Changeable, shifting, and charged. It’s at once temperamental and rock solid. In other words, true love is alive.

Tbyrd once said that my art is “retro from the future.” And it’s true, I want to dredge into the past, scoop up the best things, and skip on into a more delicious future. Bringing everyone along with me, of course.

When you were very young, did you celebrate a collective Valentine’s Day in school? In second grade, third grade, around the single-digit years, we each brought cards for every kid in the class. That’s one thing I’d like to bring back: a valentine for everyone.

So, while I don’t have cute little cards, sporting “be mine,” tucked into tiny envelopes – or even those vaguely heart-shaped, chalky-tasting candies that actually do appear to have a permanent shelf life ­– here are seven variations. Happy Valentines, to all the loves in our lives. Rock on with one sock on!

Images and text by Catherine Rutgers © 2012