A Beach Heart for Madeline

This summer, Bay Area artist Page Hodel brought together family, friends, and fans of her Monday Hearts for Madalene to craft a heart from the most sympathetic medium she could find: humans.

Dozens gathered at this beach on the Pacific Ocean a few miles down the coast from Pacifica, California for a flash mob to honor the six-year anniversary of the passing of Madalene Rodriguez, the partner Page lost to ovarian cancer less than a year into their blissful relationship.

The artist spread the word via Twitter and Facebook, and to her email list, where subscribers receive a new image of a hand-crafted heart to their inboxes every Monday morning. With the help of photographer Charles Anderson, the group captured this magnificent memorial.

“Almost all my endeavors focus on people,” said Anderson, “they are my favorite subjects.”  He’s been following Monday Hearts for Madalene for two years, saving each email from Page in a folder, Page share in an email following the event. “It was an honor for me to help Page with the photography on the Beach Heart project,” continued Anderson, “She sends out so much love every week, I was happy to finally be able to give back.”

“There were so many unexpected challenges but I think we adapted and made the absolute best of it,” Page wrote.