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The abstract direction in my process is pulling me into more open-spaced territory as you will see with my latest work. I also continue adding new mediums to the recipe. This painting was started by taping a large piece of Saunders Waterford 200 lb cotton watercolor paper to my studio wall, then making large markings with a charcoal twig (my son created for me as a nature gift) and free-feeling loops and slashes of pastel. I like how the different figurative components in this piece appear unique to themselves but connect and interact with one another to write the story. Some of my other pieces are more saturated and dense compositions, but this work contains larger breaths of white space in between the delicate shapes and has a similar approach I use in my drawings. I hope you enjoy.
Flesh the Meadow, 2018, mixed media, watercolor, ink, pastel, acrylic and charcoal, 21″ x 29″. It is available here.
Here are some details:
What a great turnout and support of Free Arts Art from the Heart Art Auction. This fundraiser for Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona was presented by Edward Jones, with featured artist Fred Tieken, and more than 70 other Arizona artists. Thank you so very much for generously attending and your online bidding! It is important to see our community coming together for our AZ children! If you are curious about the many other ways you can contribute to Free Arts, be sure to go to their website. Here are some pictures of the event which took place at Saks 5th Ave in Phoenix, AZ last last Saturday, April 7th, 4:30 – 7:00.
Here is a small detail picture from a work in progress… creatures are tucked here and there among the flora brambles. Some are sleeping. Some are curiously approaching each other, or you.
If you don’t already, also follow me at Instagram to see more projects and snippets of creative process. 
https://www.instagram.com/charmagnecoe/
My work is always available at my website and Royse Contemporary in Scottsdale, AZ.
Mark your calendars for an important upcoming charity event by Free Arts, “the only nonprofit organization in Arizona delivering creative and therapeutic arts programs, at no cost, to children ages 3 to 21 who have faced abuse, neglect and homelessness.”
Art from the Heart Art Auction
Saturday, April 7, 2018
4:30pm – 7:30pm
Saks Fifth Avenue, Biltmore Fashion Park
2502 E. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, AZ
Enjoy a silent auction featuring masterful works of art from featured artist, Fred Tieken of the Tieken Studio and Gallery AZ, and prominent Arizona artists. Bidding starts today, Monday, at https://aesaz.co/ARTS2018! Also, Click here to see a complete list of artists’ works. My painting, Lighten, 2017, watercolor, ink and pastel, 6 1/16″ x 5 1/16″, will be included. For information regarding event details, tickets, or sponsorship opportunities please contact our Development Manager, Robert Raygoza at rraygoza@freeartsaz.org or 602-258-8100 ext.15. Hope to see you there!
This is Pan Door, 2017, 6″ x 6″, watcolor, ink and pastel.
My children and I spent much of their earlier years in a northern Arizona forest. When we went into the woods, it was the closest thing to church we attended. There, we played, layed silently in falling aspen leaves, built forts, discussed mythology, ruminated on spirituality and continually discovered more about each other and the ecosystem of which we are small parts. Recently, my son turned thirteen. It is certainly a right of passage. We now live in a desert city, though the forest remains deep in us. We open ourselves up to new kinds of ecosystems, life stories, friends, dreams and experiences.
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Here is Soft Ferocities, 2017, 5″ x 5″, watercolor, ink and pastel.
I reflect often on our human emotional and physical neediness. We are prolific and impacting, to one another, to the earth on which we build lives. I feel, in a way, these rabbits are metaphorical for our fragility, as well as our innate ability to build/destroy. Both fragility and the powerful ability to adapt our environments to ourselves have many facets, many ramifications.
Thanks for reading! Both of the above works are available. For more about them and my other works, visit http://charmagnecoe.com, Facebook or Instagram. If you are near to historic downtown Scottsdale, AZ, my work is represented and always on view at Royse Contemporary.
Artwork by Fred Tieken (L), Charmagne Coe (center), Marily Szabo (R).
This is one of my new paintings, Rain With Different Frames, 9″ x 7″, made with watercolor, ink and pastel. My work moves in organic directions; I draw or paint what is authentically in my vision at the time, and stay very open to whatever else could surprisingly evolve. The themes take form as characters and textural atmospheres, both of equal importance, which relates my conviction that we are a part of this world, and it is a part of us. That is spiritual to me. When I am asked what inspires me, the “what” for me is found wherever my life is, or where my mind has wondered while reading a news article, researching, observing my children, listening to a song, walking through a temperate rain forest… the wondering finds me again in my studio.
Each work contains story lines woven together to form a whole narrative. Though the drawings and paintings may be fantastical in appearance, I feel they also contain metaphorical expressions that embody every day experiences.
And mysteries too.
Below is another new work. A miniature. This is The Appearance, 4 5/8″ x 4 1/8″, watercolor, ink and pastel.
You can find both of these works and others at my website, http://charmagnecoe.com.
Thank you for reading! Have a lovely weekend.
Thicket
It is with great excitement that I announce my debut Phoenix solo exhibition in September at the wonderful contemporary gallery, Chartreuse. You are invited!
The Reaches
Opening Reception, First Friday, September 1st, 6pm – 10pm
Closing Reception, Third Friday, September 14th, 6pm – 10pm
Additional showings on Saturdays 2nd and 16th, 10am – 3pm
Music by Alan Jones. Refreshments.
Chartreuse, 1301 Grand Ave 2b, Phoenix, AZ 85007
This large body of expressive surrealistic paintings was created in watercolor, ink and pastel. Each one in some way embodies the show’s title, The Reaches, with themes of connectedness and holism. Most of the paintings have never been shown before. Several new works from this year are included, both framed, and rawly, unframed — though it may be a bit shocking to have some delicate pastel work exposed without glass, they’re going to be living on the edge. My process involves organically, spontaneously allowing the colors, textures and story to evolve before me. My inspiration occurs in recognizing that all of us are parts of deeply interconnected experiences and then, from that vantage point, pursuing creative ideas within subjects such as biophilia (human innate need to connect with nature), mythology, pathos or the collective unconscious. It is such a pleasure to work and collaborate with agent/curator, Nicole Royse, and owner of Chartreuse, Nancy Hill. You may RSVP here at Facebook.
I deeply look forward to this opportunity to meet others in my community and share my work. Hope to see you there!
This is a new small painting. It is a hope-filled expression which feels fitting for the spring season.
Another Day Opens, 2017, watercolor, ink and pastel. It is also available to view and purchase at my website.
New drawings:
Anemone, 2017, ink and watercolor drawing.
Organelle, 2017, ink drawing.
Ribbon Running, 2017, ink and watercolor drawing
The above painting and drawings are available, so please feel free to inquire! You can do so here or my website contact form.
I had a wonderful time at the group exhibition Put the Art in pARTy at Icehouse Gallery, curated and hosted by Joe Holdren. The setting is always a spacious and intriguing place to explore, as is the art.
I’m looking forward to yet another upcoming group exhibition at Icehouse on May 5: Figure So Surreal, curated by Travis Fields. I’ll be one on 36 other artists showing contemporary surrealistic work. More on that in the next post.
Here is a detail pic of something that sprang onto paper yesterday afternoon. We’ll see where it takes me. Perhaps this is where it stops.
Every day, I try to either run or hike in the Sonoran landscape. I make a practice to stop and smell the roses… and orange blossoms and creosote. There is so much visible beauty to not only enjoy, but to remind my spirit of how importantly interconnected we all truly are wherever we go, be it a quiet forest in the mountains or a sprawling metropolis. Here is a small dried barrel cactus fruit which must have been a nice meal for a bird or a javelina. It caught my eye, I passed it, then turned around to pick it up.
I am quite fond of listening to ambient music while I paint, or any time really. My favorites are bands like Pausal and The Dead Texan, who allow for a lot of open spaces between the changing chords and patiently allow the narrative to grow. Like clouds slowly overlapping, merging and dissipating. This musical piece is by an incredible group called A Winged Victory For The Sullen. It was put out on the Erased Tapes Records label, album titled, Requiem For The Static King Part Two.
I’ve just finished another small painting. I will be photographing it in the next day or so, and blog it soon.
Happy Easter. Happy newness.
Upcoming events this week…
Joe Holdren, the talent behind the historic Icehouse art gallery in downtown phoenix, has invited several Arizona artists to participate in Put the Art in pARTy and I’m pleased to be included. This is a group exhibition happening during Art Detour 29 in Downtown Phoenix to meet and greet many artists that live and work around Phoenix area. This will be concurrent to the wonderful show, Songs Untitled, by artists, Dan Pederson, Joe Holdren, Carol O’Hara Sherwood and Onna Voellmer. Below are pictures of their work. The Art Party is Saturday 10am -2am through Sunday 10am – 5pm, March 18th – 19th, 429 W. Jackson St.! Come on by, enjoy the art, speak with the artists, hear live music and have some refreshments.
I took the following pictures (the first one below is by Joe) when I dropped off my artwork last week. You can see that the crew at Icehouse is busy putting up new lighting in preparation for a fantastic time!
With my two work, Awake and Diviners.
I also have these four artworks, two drawings and two paintings, at The Artery, during Art Detour 29. These will be included in the group show with Ladies Who Paint. Also be sure to walk upstairs and view the studios of artists such as Ann Morriss Osgood and Laura Cohen-Hogan.
Third Friday, March 17th, 6 – 10 pm
Saturday, March 18th, 11 am – 5 pm
Sunday, March 19th, 11 am – 5 pm
It was a pleasure to be interviewed by Nicole Royse for YabYum online music and art magazine for Phoenix, AZ. You can read it here!
It’s been full speed ahead the past couple of weeks! I have completed the painting, Calamus, and started several more. Below are detail pictures of one I’m working on.
If you have any questions regarding any of the artworks you’ve seen in this or past blog posts, please contact me!
This is my newest completed painting. In it, I responded to many ponderings on the way we recognize one another as human animals. How we coalesce because of another’s connection to our lives. I will leave it at that, as there are so many ways to travel from those conversational/meditative starting points. Our Faces Come Because You Look For Us, 2017, watercolor, ink and pastel, 27 1/8″ x 19″, archival paper, unframed. You can view more at my shop. Enjoy.
Tonight, The Women Who Paint will again be having a group show at the Artery/Studio 6 based around the Art Detour 29 theme The Selfie. The artists included are Charmagne Coe, Carla Keaton, Cindy Schnackel, Lucretia Torva, Marisa Hall Valdez and Randy Zucker. I had to contemplate this theme for a bit… as I am not wont to think of myself as a solo self, but rather, I am me because of all of us. Universality. When I chose the works for the show, I saw my image in the works as me as having been affected by others. And, they are of you too if you see yourself there.
The Selfie Show
The Artery/Studio 6, 623 Indian School Road
Opening Reception:
First Friday, March 3rd, 6 – 10 pm
Art Detour Hours:
Third Friday, March 17th, 6 – 10 pm
Saturday, March 18th, 11 am – 5 pm
Sunday, March 19th, 11 am – 5 pm
A little more about Art Detour 29:
“Art Detour is expanding from two to four days in 2017, and will feature a diverse slate of activities created by local artists and art venues to celebrate the growing, vibrant Phoenix arts scene. The event is produced by Artlink Inc., in partnership with the City of Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture, Downtown Phoenix, AZ and Artlink Articipants.”
This is the recent drawing, Write the Words’ on Chapters’ Mouths.
Last month’s Small Works Love Show at The Artery was an intimate exhibition of works by my artist group, Ladies Who Paint. This gallery is located in the heart of Phoenix. It is home to the art collective at Studio 6; there art studios are upstairs… and when you visit, do take the time to see them! This was the first of many shows to come at this location throughout 2017. Below’s picture is courtesy of MJ Deen.
As with all my work, I’m always bound on a journey with many surprises. I’m not a quick painter, by any stretch. It almost always takes a while for a story to unwind itself in the layers of water, ink and pastel. I step forward. I step back. I work on several paintings at once in order to keep the hum going, so when one piece needs to be left for a while, I can move to another painted narrative in-process. Each time I work, I’m encountering a great amount of puzzling, miring at times, and intense learning. Because of how varied this last year has been in my life, I find no end of ideas that I want to express.
Below is the new work, We Speak Our Fossil Alive, 2017, watercolor, ink and pastel, 20 1/8″ x 19 1/16″.
Detail pics:
On another far more pressing note… it is my hope that we allow equality to stand firmly at the helm of our hearts. May we be in solidarity with those who suffer injustice and whose rights are threatened in these strange political times. Never has it been more important to speak and act, in addition to feeling our convictions to support unity in America. This is why I march. It’s why I say “resist with love”. Peace to all of you!
My studio is finally getting fleshed out, and three weeks ago I began in earnest to start new works and wrap up ones I’d started on Vashon Island. Here is a miniature work I finished this week. Enjoy the detail pics too! Inspirit, 2016, 4 1/4″ x 5 1/16″, watercolor, ink and pastel.
Below is a recent ink drawing, When They Come, My Relics. I was fascinated by its contexts so much, that I felt it should be the basis for a new painting to explore it further. Beneath it is the work in progress.
Everyone asks me the same question: “Are you settled in yet?”. I moved from Vashon Island back to my hometown, Phoenix, in July. No, I’m not settled in. That’s the simple answer. There’s a lot to getting new rituals in place, making home a home and sinking roots. I think I’ve got a solid start though. Arizona is familiar to me in a way that is integral. I’m thankful to the family and friends who have gathered around us for a hell of a homecoming. It’s been sweet.
As I’m finally catching my breath, I’ve been attending several local gallery openings and the Downtown Phoenix First and Third Friday Art Walks. Below are pics of {9} The Gallery and its solo exhibition by Sky Black. Heard Museum hosted ArtLink Phoenix’s 18th Annual Juried Exhibition. It was a good opportunity to view and appreciate the diverse emerging and established talents who are pushing the art envelope in Phoenix. MonOrchid is always a fave of mine… and I’m glad I could catch their First Friday show by Kris Manzanares.
I’m enjoying finding new places to run. Though I don’t run far (yet), it’s been a regular ritual for years. I find that I work out painting problems, have sudden inspirations or solve daily confusions in the meditative pace. The heat, of course, is the most taxing part of running in Phoenix, but now that it’s cooling down, I’m hoping to make the miles stretch a little longer.
Here is a painting I finished on Vashon. It is still available at my shop. The Carrier, 2016,
watercolor, ink and pastel, 16″ x 14″.
Below are details from another work in progress. Started in April, wow, this one has definitely taken its time, but I’m savoring all the twists and turns in the slow process.
To see more of what I’m up to, I’m here at Facebook, and my website/shop. That’s all for now. I should be posting more frequently, now that I’m (mostly!) done with moving boxes, hallelujah. Take care.
I am astray for light of you 