The Madonna: A New Beginning
Symbolism has always been at the heart of my art. I find myself drawn to the stories, textures, and hidden meanings that weave themselves into each piece I create. Recently, I’ve felt a clear calling to begin a new series: The Madonnas.
The Inspiration.
The story of La Virgen de Guadalupe is about the Virgin Mary's appearance to an Indigenous man, Juan Diego, in Mexico in 1531. Speaking to him in his native language, Nahuatl, she asked him to have the bishop build a shrine to her on Tepeyac Hill. When the bishop asked for proof, Juan Diego was instructed by the Virgin to gather Castilian roses, which were out of season, and place them in his cloak, or tilma. When he opened the cloak before the bishop, the roses spilled out, revealing a miraculous image of the Virgin Mary imprinted on the fabric.
Interesting side note: Miraculous.
Unexplained durability: The cloak is made of agave fibers, which are naturally supposed to last only about 30 years, but the image has miraculously remained intact for nearly 500 years, baffling scientists. The image itself contains no signs of paint or brushstrokes and is thought to have been printed all at once.
The Fabric for the Madonna Bodies.
As Juan Diego's cloak was made of corn husks, I asked, what would be a fabric of today that could emulate that? Linen! I found this vintage linen that has a gold thread running through it (forever thankful for CircaFabrics).
I dyed the fabric and then created the bodies of this magnificent piece. By the way, I bought everything the shop had in stock. I love using vintage fabrics. They will truly be one of a kind, starting with their bodies!
It starts like that, doesn't it? You know the direction you wish to take, but it remains somewhat elusive. I knew that I wanted to place my beloved symbolism into each. Of course, The Rose, and The Corazón.
I knew I wanted to explore the appliqué technique and expand on it as a collage effect. I needed a lot of images to create this, so I tried to use mainly cottons with accents of other fabrics. That's why I headed off to the quilt shop. I walked in determined to find roses. I started with a more vintage look in mind, but soon found myself drawn to the contemporary fabrics. The clarity of color and design was what stood out.
Moths- enter again.
I rounded the corner, and there in front of me were moths. MOTHS! Of course, there were moths.
The beauty of following your soul's heart is that it will always show up with the right thing. Every time I find I am in a transition, the Moth shows up.
The moth teaches us trust. She does not question the light; she moves toward it with certainty, knowing she will be sustained, knowing all will be provided for her.
La Luz: The Light
As I continue to shape this series, I wish to draw on my Spanish heritage, enriching it with my love of symbolism. The vision has revealed itself: Madonna of the Light — La Luz.
Light itself is a symbol of divine presence, of guidance, of the unseen made visible. In this Madonna, I am bringing forth the imagery of the moth—delicate, instinctive, and ever drawn to the flame. The moth teaches us trust. She does not question the light; she moves toward it with certainty, knowing she will be sustained, knowing all will be provided for her.
This small creature becomes a reminder of faith and surrender. Just as Juan Diego’s humble cloak bore the miraculous image, the moth shows us that even the most fragile beings are sustained by light. In La Luz, the gold-threaded linen will carry this symbolism, catching illumination as though the figure herself glows from within—an eternal flame calling us closer.
Head sculpted and covered in the linen:
Hand-tinted and painted features
Two Bodies Created. La Luz: The Light
La Rosa de la Alegría : The Rose of Joy
The Layout Process.
This can only be done with love and patience. I wanted the colors to transition from the hemline, which is darker, to rise up to her heart, where they become yellows...
Each Moth from the printed fabric is stabilized and cut out. That gave me the foundation. Then I created my own motifs in a photo program and printed them onto cotton fabric. I tried silk, but the color was not as vibrant.
I included black and white images to depict our balance of life.
Positioned and ready. I also added in silk and velvet silhouettes.
The final stage of this process is (my signature) topstitching.
Left side of her gown.
Final Images (with some notes).
The Moth weaves its cocoon to transform. La Luz, the underskirt with silk lining, and Matilla (head covering) are made from a loosely woven gauze to represent the cocoon from which she emerged.
Open back view.
Closed Back view
Golden Silk Shoes.
The Moth walks a path of golden enlightenment. It is her footprints that touch the Earth and then take flight.
The Madonna of the Light is not only
a figure to behold,
but a story of trust: that when we follow the light,
even through the shadows,
we are guided toward what we need most.
