Gwen Magee

The shock of today's news of her passing is hard to describe.  The vibrancy of her presence, clarity of her words and precision of her work only scratches the surface of the complexity that is Gwen Magee.

The prolific amount of work she created is impressive.  The attention to detail and fullness like her Lift Every Voice series seems to just flow from her.  Her capturing of the essence of what was meant is creative and easy to follow.  The ability to articulate what for me is intuitive stands out as yet another one of her gifts.  Take time to go look at her work, it is well worth the effort and energy.  You will not be sorry.

Gwen was at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, FL for a moment when I was there.  Her ability to suffer fools gladly, impart information without stuffiness and draw her line in the sand when necessary without force is what stands out most for me apart from her magnificent art all these years later.  She joyously shared her wisdom with those receptive folks like me who gathered round and listened to her softly spoken pearls that were interspersed with humor and love.  She gave thoughtful attention to everyone with respect and appreciation.

I was so awed and humbled by her generosity that I failed to verbalize (or write) my thoughts to her.  I loved her in essence and continually sent out great karma, but failed to do it in a way that she could tangibly feel.  Shame on me.

I feel her blessings on me now.  My tribute to her will be to share my feelings more fully with those who contribute to them most directly.  You are and always will be missed Gwen!