honey wove the marrow

the eyes and hands who make strong

2015 watercolor, ink and pastel 16" x 16"

A feminine figure, outlined in amber, rises and rests on the edge of the paper. She bears blood on her hand as a sign of where she's been. An odyssey unfolds and sweeps in all directions. It contains the interconnected stories that led to now. Creature spirits appear and gravitate left. Sometimes their eyes turn to acknowledge us. Hands rove throughout the texture of the landscape, both to hold and to create. There is a growing sense of anticipation for what is burgeoning in the nearby future. We are in a constant state of evolution. Our lives bear definitions and fingerprints of the people with whom we share our lives. Our complex environments inform and guide us. We are forming and being formed. Whether the shaping of life is grandiose or imperceptible, it is happening every moment. Each one of us impacts the entire macrocosm of which we are a part. There are thundering forces which have trampled and marred throughout history, and continue to assail the universal human spirit. Yet, in my experience, there is a force far greater and all-encompassing: the ability of a person to love another despite all odds. I don't believe it is a rare love, but instead is generously available to all of us. Furthermore, we all need it. It can be tapped and learned and then it grows. It is this very love, manifested by us, that transcends seemingly impossible circumstances and strengthens the whole. This love has eyes that clearly see the worth of all people equally. This love has physical hands that build and hold sacred the good of others. Terrible deeds done in the name of tunnel vision and fear of change surely are expressions of a soul that's turned its back on love All the sirens, all the tongues The song of air in every lung Heaven's perfect alchemy put me with you and you with me Come on –put that in your heart Come on, put it in your heart From "Put It In Your Heart", by Bruce Cockburn

Charmagne Coe is an American surrealist. She creates inner and outer-worldly paintings with watercolor, ink, and pastel. Inherent is a deep respect for the nature of automatism, spirit and contour line. Her work has been included in publications such as Utne Reader, Luxe Interiors + Design, and Creative Quarterly. When she is not working in her little studio, she participates in international exhibitions. She also expresses wild expanses and heart-achy characters in pen and ink.

For more work by Charmagne Coe, check out her page at our Online Sundries site.

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