New Universe Story Watercolors
Painted by Mary C. Coelho
Artist Statement
It was in 1992, moved by Brian Swimme's video series, the Canticle to the Cosmos, that I painted The Tree of Life, my first painting about our revelatory new origin story. With this new direction in some of my paintings, I hoped I might express my joy in the insights the story offers and that I might explore more fully our once again enchanted world and its mysterious depths. The unfolding story is based on the discovery of the great age of the earth and universe and our knowledge of the astounding differentiation and the increase in subjectivity and communion that has occurred since the great flaring forth nearly 14 billion years ago. The story includes discoveries from physics about the largely unseen nature of things, the mysterious nature of matter and the role of human consciousness and human culture in the still unfolding story. These remarkable discoveries also provoked the writing of my book Awakening Universe, Emerging Personhood, The Power of Contemplation in an Evolving Universe. Both the twenty paintings with reflections on each painting and the book are described in the website:
http://newuniversestory.com
The Magnificent Cosmos
The Hubble Deep Field in the background of this collage tells of the grandeur of the universe which evokes an embrace of the magnificence of the earth and the possibilities of our grandeur.
Ongoing Creativity
Given the astounding creativity of the earth and universe made manifest by the new story we can have confidence that there is much to unfold as we share in the qualities of the vast creative whole as they are expressed in the work of human beings, including women's handwork.
The Great Red Oak
The 400 year old great red oak stood along the Hudson River in the yard of the house where Thomas Berry studied and wrote for many years.
