"Between My Own Arms" by Eddina Coppage

“That's why you’re here.

Drawn into the night, the girl feels the world pause around her; flowers quieting, soil stirring, paper drifting in the breeze. There she recognizes a truth she will carry onward: light and weight exist together.”

Between My Own Arms is a multimedia exploration of personal experience and the simultaneous embrace and estrangement of the self. Through metaphorical and symbolic uses of portraiture, nature, spirituality, and subtle echoes of celebration, Eddina Coppage reflects on adolescence, family responsibility, and the passage of time. The narrative acknowledges that, despite hardship, life persists—flowers still bloom and streamers still fall. Ultimately, her work encompasses the duality of being both at peace and burdened.

This exhibition aims to evoke a sense of vulnerability, allowing viewers to encounter Coppage’s thoughts and experiences while prompting reflection on their own. It invites audiences to embrace contrast within their individual journeys and within their evolving sense of self.

Eddina Coppage (b. 2001, Leander, TX) is a Texas-based interdisciplinary visual artist whose work spans painting, sculpture, and narrative imagery. Rooted in figurative and representational traditions, her practice explores identity, spirituality, self-fragmentation, and the tensions between inner and outer selves. Drawing from classical realism, neoclassicism, surrealism, and expressionism—as well as the cultural landscape of the American South and Black Southern identity—Coppage weaves motifs from church culture, familial history, and personal memory into emotionally resonant works. She lives and works in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Coppage will receive her BFA from Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi in December 2025 and holds an AA in Studio Art from Del Mar College (2023). Her work has been exhibited across Texas, including the Del Mar 59th Annual National CAIN Art Show (2025), President’s Circle at the Weil Gallery (2025), Wildlife & Wonder at the South Texas Botanical Gardens (2025), and multiple Visual Arts Scholastic Events. Her work has appeared in Glasstire, KIII-TV, the Caller-Times, and in regional collections.

Her honors include the SAMCC Dean’s List Award, the Outstanding Student Award from Del Mar College, memberships in the Student Art Association and national honor societies, and multiple academic and fine arts scholarships, including the TAMUCC Fine Arts Scholarship and the Topsy Dougherty King and Sydne Gail Richman Endowed Scholarships.