A Beautiful Memory

Recently, several people have asked me about this year's Mary Magdalene Celebration... and unfortunately, I probably won't be able to do a big event this year.

There are so many reasons, but the main one is that Raquel Z. Rivera won't be able to come sing. And also because I will probably be in transition for this entire year, with my house in construction and all that this implies.

My main commitment this year is to create an exhibition, titled The Dark Magdalene, to be presented in May at the Bronx Music Heritage Center. This exhibition will still be on the wall on July 22, so if I am in NYC, I will be there celebrating in some way. It is possible I will be enjoying a new project in Puerto Rico, La Casita Art Studio. And I will let you know more about this very soon.

But back to the Mary Magdalene Celebration. I went through all my Facebook posts (hard work!) until I found this video of Corazón Tierra's dance workshop. She asked me to get it for her since she didn't have it in her files. It was filmed by Gisela González during the Mary Magdalene Celebration 2017. I hope you enjoy it!

Magdalene blessings of Love, Peace and Joy for you and all your loved ones.

July 22, 2017

The Feast of St. Mary Magdalene.

Mary Magdalene, Our Lady of Lexington.

Mary Magdalene, the saint for those who may not believe in anything, 

but believe in the redeeming power of creativity.

Red.

Community.

Elevation and Expansion.

Today.

Magdalene Angel

Magdalene Angel by Tanya Torres
4" x 4", Oil on Canvas, 2017.

A little angel with the colors of the Magdalene with wings to fly.

Mary Magdalene's Glory

Mary Magdalene's Glory by Tanya Torres
Oil on Canvas, 10" x 8", 2017.

Mary Magdalene's Glory began with colors on a canvas, gradually forming this image. The face emerges within a veil of warm colors that envelop the Magdalene in glory. Glory, Ecstasy, Nirvana: the Magdalene reached the maximum ideal of what a human being can be by aligning her body, mind, and soul with Spirit. 

Mary Magdalene, Our Lady of Joyful Beauty

Mary Magdalene, Our Lady of Joyful Beauty by Tanya Torres
10" x 8", Oil on Canvas,  2017. 

Every year I create one or more paintings of Mary Magdalene. This year, Mary Magdalene, Our Lady of Joyful Beauty began with a simple drawing I use to paint my muses on tile. 

Little by little, it began transforming into Mary Magdalene, with her heart open, and full of light. 

I am interested in the idea of the Sacred Heart and the connection among human beings through entrainment, a continuous interchange between consciousnesses. When two or more vibrating bodies are close, little by little they will begin vibrating at the same rate. This happens inside of us and outside. This is how we become one with the Universe.

This original painting on canvas was finished in July 2017 to be presented at The Mary Magdalene Celebration on July 22, 2017. It is an oil on canvas and it comes framed on a wooden canvas floater frame. 

I hope this luminous image of Mary Magdalene can be appreciated as an artwork or as a piece for meditation and connection to the energy of Mary Magdalene. 

Saint Mary Magdalene

This original oil painting on canvas is 10" high x 8" wide.
It will be presented at The Mary Magdalene Celebration on July 22, 2017. 

I wanted to paint an iconic face, with a luminous background, without attributes, just Mary Magdalene, penetrating eyes, full of wisdom.

In my imaginary symbology, red is the color of passion, the color of the growing heart.

Yellow is the color of wisdom, Sophia.

She is ageless and eternal. 

The Mary Magdalene Celebration: 10 Years of Praising Mary Magdalene Through Image and Song

Mary Magdalene's Love by Tanya Torres, Oil on Canvas, 10" x 8", 2017.
Just finished yesterday... as you can see, it is on my work table.

This is my new Mary Magdalene, finished yesterday, when I was finally able to sit down to paint after months traveling in Spain, Italy and Morocco. Her hair is turning white. Which is how I feel after all the traveling, which was wonderful, and also challenging. It was a little painful to see so much art and so much beauty without a studio or a place to stop and think, and make. But that was part of the reason to leave New York for a little while. Disconnect and start over. 

I am starting over, in a way, and choosing to keep those projects, actions and groups the person I am now still feels connected to. And after 10 years there is one thing I do that definitely stays: my work with the Magdalene. 

Before leaving I felt overwhelmed, and even though I had a great place to celebrate Mary Magdalene this year, I felt weak, and tired. I had no energy or will to do anything. Just planning the trip was an immense effort. It was truly overwhelming. And I tried to cancel the event when I noticed that Raquel was overwhelmed, too.

But then I couldn't cancel. It didn't feel right to reject the gifts I had been already given. A theater for the performances. A wall for the exhibition. Help. Support from people who have been to the Celebration and loved it. I persuaded myself to do it smaller. And settled on the exhibition and the full play Mandala: Stories of the Net and the Sea, because Xiomara Evans and Marni Rice had expressed their with to present it in my neighborhood. And I felt a little relieved.

Then, I left and started improving. I felt really tired walking all day, going from monument to museum, listening and learning, getting lost and finding the road once again. Metaphor and reality. But I also felt the need to come back to work, and it became more and more present as I traveled. 

By the end of the two months, I knew I needed to revive the full event, and as soon as I got back, reconnected with Johanna, the leader of the Red Tent, and with my creative partner in all Magdalene endeavors, Raquel Z. Rivera. 

How did I persuade Raquel to come? I said we'll do it like the first time. And then she realized it would be a full decade since that first time, when we sang her songs without musicians, in a circle, just our hearts making music. I have dreamed of this for a long time. 

I said: 

Dos meses es un largo tiempo. Pero me sirvieron para despejarme, caminar, poner muchas cosas nuevas en la cabeza y regresar con la hora europea, lo que quiere decir que me levanto a las 6 de la mañana sin problemas. ¡Eso es lo mejor de todo! 

Poco a poco he ido retomando los proyectos dejados a medias y terminando lo que dejé a punto de terminar. Y... la Celebración MM. 

A pesar de que "cancelé" realmente no cancelé. Después me dije, tenemos un espacio gratis y muy bueno para el día de la Magdalena y Xiomara y Marni quieren hacer la obra, así que eso va. La exhibición también va, aunque todavía no he escogido a todas las artistas. 

Y... tengo una propuesta para ti. ¿Estarías dispuesta a venir por el fin de semana o por el día sábado? Sí, así de cortito... para que no tengas que dejar nada. 

Esta es la idea: Después de la obra, con un grupo íntimo de gente que se sepa las canciones, (aunque no puedo garantizar lo de íntimo), cantamos y prendemos las velas. Y tú guías. Sin músicos, aunque Leticia tiene acceso a músicos si lo deseas. Nada de show, una ceremonia, una ofrenda. 

Montamos un altar.Corazón hace la danza de apertura.7 Canciones, una a una.Prendemos las velas con cada canción.Palmeamos y sonreímos.y quién sabe, agujita y su combo pueden tocar la última canción y bailamos para cerrar.
Si estás dispuesta, te envío el pasaje y te quedas aquí (o te vas el mismo día, o te quedas un mes, jajaja, como tú quieras...) 

Lets set up an altar, with candles, lets invite the people who know the songs and offered to sing last year, lets print copies of the songs, I will send you the plan ticket and we'll do it like the first time. 

Everyone accepted my invitation to come back to do the full event:

The Red Tent: Women come together to celebrate menstruation, welcome girls into the women's circle, and say aloud their mothers and grandmother's names. Hosted by Johanna Cabrera.

The Magdalene Fair: Artists, artisans and authors will exhibit their creations for sale during the entire event. Come see the crafts, books, and other Mary Magdalene inspired creations as well as the personal creations of each participant.

21 Magdalenes: An art exhibition of 21 paintings in honor of Mary Magdalene. 

Why Mary Magdalene: A colloquium in which we come together to talk about Mary Magdalene and what brought us to her. 

Mandala: Stories of the Net and the Sea: The full play by Xiomara Evans and Marni Rice

A feast: Everyone is invited to bring a dish or drink to share. Offerings are accepted all day. Lets make a great table of beautiful food to share!

The Ceremony: The event will culminate with the singing of the 7 Songs of Praise for Mary Magdalene. The ceremony begins with an opening dance by Corazón Tierra, who has created this piece especially for this ceremony. Raquel will sing each song. You are invited to join the singing by contacting me so I can send you the songs. Raquel will sing the songs like the first time we sang. Everyone is invited to join with voice, instrument or palms. I hope Alexandra, the wonderful bomba dancer, will interject a dance as we continue the songs. I will light a candle at the Magdalene Altar as we sing each song. With the last song, everybody dances!

And yesterday I finished the piece above, the Mary Magdalene I have been working on for about a year and with is the image for this year's invitation and altarpiece. That was the signal to start letting people know we will be celebrating 10 years!

I am filled with joy and expectation. I am filled with the love of the Magdalene. I am filled with love for my friends and partners in this wonderful 10 year and beyond adventure.  I am full, and I hope you will join us to share the love!

Saturday, July 22, 2017

Staring at Midday. Culminating at 8:00 p.m. El Barrio Art Space Black Box Theater and Lower level, 99th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. Hosted by La Casa de la Herencia Cultural Puertorriqueña and El Barrio Art Space. I will personally put your name on a seat if you let me know you want to come. Free. Donations accepted to support the artists, but not required. 

Sacred Woman

Sacred Woman, Oil on Canvas, 10" x 8", 2016.

There are so many aspects to Mary Magdalene. Sacred Woman refers to the Magdalene who was turned into a prostitute and who reemerges in the imagination as the embodiment of holiness, including the sexual aspect. This is one of the new pieces exhibited on July 22 at the Mary Magdalene Celebration. Listed in my website store.

Magdalenes

Mary Magdalene, Our Lady of Fire is now at David's home.

A photo shared by David Haas: on his wall. Mary Magdalene, Our Lady of Fire is now at David's home. Thank you David! I'm honored my Magdalene is in your home and has been at the Taizé!

A Magdalene on Mary Magdalene's Day

Magdalena, Acrylic on Canvas, 10" x 10",  2014.

Thinking of the Magdalene and all the guidance she has given me through the years. I am especially grateful for all the "love letters" from magdalene sisters and brothers around the world, most of them at times when I really needed an extra little push to keep going. Thank you St. Mary Magdalene, for all your love!

Mary Magdalene of the Roses is Back At Home

Mary Magdalene of the Roses, by Tanya Torres, Oil on Canvas, 60" x 40", 2010.

A few months ago, I received a call from a friend letting me know that Holy Rosary Church in East Harlem would be closing. This made me very sad, for many reasons, including that I didn't know what would happen to the painting Mary Magdalene of the Roses.

I had some time ago read about what happens to art when churches in New York City close, and for this reason I had asked my friend there to let me know if they finally decided to close the church. The Archdiocese of New York had been trying to close Holy Rosary for several years now, but the congregation was not happy about it. Many of them had attended that church their entire lives, and it held a lot of history and memories. I had only met my friends there a few years ago, but it hurt a great deal to learn the bad news. I was also afraid this painting would end up in a moldy basement. But thanks to my beloved friend, it is now safe at home.

Several people had asked over the years if they could purchase it, but it was something I made for Holy Rosary, and I was really happy that it was there. It was really sad news to hear the church would be closing, since I got to meet and love the people there, especially the group of ladies who nourished my soul with their love and kind words over the years. At Holy Rosary, I created and taught art, repaired saints, created poetry, helped paint the church, helped decorate the Santo Niño de Cebú shrine, and above all benefitted from the love of a community that didn't know me or expect anything from me. This was enormously healing.

But one day, the old priests were sent back to Spain (they were very old and in bad health), and a new pair of priests were borrowed from nearby Our Lady of Mount Carmel. They were not happy to be there, and it showed.

No more poetry, no more art. The environment got transformed so rudely and so suddenly that I could no longer get myself to show up. And I wondered what would happen to the painting, and If I would be able to smuggle it out of the building.

I had "donated" it, but no papers were signed, so it was technically mine. I didn't want to steel it back! But since nobody trusted the new management, I had to go with my intuition and as soon as my friend called, I was there to get it. My husband Juan and I covered it in black plastic bags and smuggled it out in the middle of the day from the dark church basement. The upper church had been closed for years now, and mass takes place in the lower level, which also means nobody was there to stop me.

I think the right place for it would be at another church. For now it is in my new studio at home, where the old Mixta Gallery used to be. And I am glad, because it is one of my favorites. If you would like to visit and see it in person, let me know! I will make you tea! (Remember "Tea with Tanya"? Coming back very soon…!) And if you know of a good, appropriate, responsible, respectful and loving spiritual place for it, also let me know!

But back to the painting. It also can be attributed a little miracle.

When I was getting ready to draw the canvas, I wanted to buy yellow roses to draw. But I looked all over my neighborhood, and no yellow roses were available.

When I first stepped into Holy Rosary for the funeral of my friend's mother, I had met a woman there who became my friend, someone who, together with the priest (who read the poem I wrote in honor my friend's mother during the mass, and who is also a poet), she and he held my hands and asked me if I could help them bring poetry to the church.

I grew up with a mix of Catholicism and Socialism, and for most of my life, I tried to stay away from churches, but at this point in my life, I could not say no to such a request. The Magdalene had brought me there, and I had to follow through.

For several years I created a poetry publication to publish in the church bulletin. Most of my Heaven and Earth drawings came out of that work.

But that was not the miracle. I looked and looked for yellow roses, and nothing. That same weekend the woman, Judy, visited me, and brought me a gift: very fresh, very beautiful, Yellow Roses. And she had no idea I was looking for yellow roses!

The roses lasted long enough to draw and paint them. And they live on in this images of Mary Magdalene, Our Lady of Lexington Avenue.

***

Here is the poem that began this adventure:

I Was

I was a woman,

who loved.

Now I am love.

I was a woman,

who looked up to the sky, and wished to fly.

Now I am flight.

I was a mother,

and today I am creation.

I was voice, warmth

and the resounding flow of blood

within the borders of my body.

Now I am silence that rests

in the coming and going

of my beloved hearts.

I was that which reflected a shadow,

Now, I am intense light,

in the infinite space of my being.

I was a limit in time,

but today, wholeness embraces me, 

and I embrace wholeness.

I was many things that come to an end.

Now I am infinite eternity,

Within each new and small sprouting of life.

I still am who I always have been.

New Paintings of Mary Magdalene

Yesterday, our Mary Magdalene Celebration was beautiful. Here are the new paintings, presented on the altar at the mass at St. Mark's Church in the Bowery, and later placed at the promesa altar.

Mary Magdalene, Our Lady of Flowers by Tanya Torres, oil on canvas board, 10" x 8", 2013

Mary Magdalene and the Miracle of the Red Egg, by Tanya Torres, oil on canvas board, 10" x 8", 2013.

Mary Magdalene, Our Lady of Sunflowers, by Tanya Torres, oil on canvas board, 10" x 8", 2013.

Mary Magdalene, Our Lady of Fire, by Tanya Torres, oil on canvas board, 10" x 8", 2013.

Altar at the celebration, ready for the songs of the promesa, with traditional wooden saint made by artisan Marta Iris Rodríguez Olmeda

Mary Magdalene of the Burning Heart

María Magdalena del corazón ardiente por Tanya Torres

Mary Magdalene of the Flaming Heart by Tanya Torres, Oil on canvas, 20" x 16", 2012.

It took me a long time to finish this painting, which I published as a work in progress last year for Mary Magdalene's Day, and completed some months ago. It was a starting point for the paintings I wanted to do for Prague. I see it as the center, or centering, piece of the series, somewhere between Heaven and Earth, holding in her hands the burning heart of wisdom.

Mary Magdalene taught me (the readings, the thoughts, the synthesis extracted from all the wanderings) that the heart is the center of wisdom, of truth. Not the actual heart, but the spiritual heart. When we accept its wisdom, our whole being becomes harmonized and synchronized with the rest of the body as well as other beings.

Science  has found that the heart orders other body systems to act, just like the brain does. But it feeds on love. If there is no love, it becomes out of sync and causes everything else to do the same. At least that is what a Dr. Patrick Drouot, a professor in La Sorbonne, as well as other scientists say. I guess this is what Mary Magdalene has been trying to tell me all along!

With this knowledge of the heart, Earth begins.

***

Mary Magdalene of the Flaming Heart  is sold as well as Mother and Child. Thank you M.S. and S.T. for your support of my work!

Reproductions and Greeting Cards available in my Etsy Shops: 
Greeting Card: https://www.etsy.com/listing/102962322/mary-magdalene-of-the-burning-heart
http://www.etsy.com/shop/tanyaetorres
http://www.etsy.com/shop/YellowButterflyShop

Mary Magdalene of Peace

As a strong character of Christian mythology, Mary Magdalene brings balance to the idea of what a woman is, should be or could be. When the world has respect for all human beings, and learns to consider women as equals all over the world, we will be closer to true peace. In essence, this is what attracts me to the Magdalene: she represents the potential of changing the the world through love and peace by achieving true humanity. Peace is like a baby in her arms, ready to take flight at any moment.

***

This Magdalene is available in my ***new Etsy Shop*** as a print. Use the coupon code "GRANDOPENING" for a super special 50% discount on all items until Dec. 20!

Song of the Magdalene: Mary Magdalene of the Tears

Mary Magdalene of the Tears, Oil on canvas board, 7" x 9", 2010

Beloved disciple,

your tears arrived,

when you embraced,

your vision,

weaving the warp and weft,

where we now rest,

in the perpetual lace

of Resurrection.

(Verses from the poem Tears of Freedom)

In Spanish, there is a very popular expression: "Crying like a Magdalene." I don't know if the same is true for other languages and cultures, but for Puerto Ricans, the Magdalene is always the image of crying in desperation. This Magdalene, the last one I completed (for now!), is the only one I painted with tears as an iconographical reference. But once again, I am substituting the traditional meaning and offering a new interpretation. In this painting the tears are not a reference to pain, but to freedom.

Mary Magdalene must have experienced an immense amount of pain. She chose to face it. She stayed by the Cross as her Beloved died a terrible death. She did not run away before or after, but lived through it. Those of us who know pain of any kind, physical or emotional, know that once we live through it, something happens. Nothing is the same as it was before, there is a calm, a silence of a meditative and clear nature. A silence that lets us hear its lesson.

Pain is a great teacher. Once we meet pain, we will forever be aware of the suffering of others. What we could not imagine possible in terms of suffering, we realize as true after knowing pain. Empathy and compassion can blossom out of this experience, and a new kind of strength as well. It is as if pain can have the power weaken our bodies, while also containing the possibility of adding muscle to our souls.

I, like many people, have experienced both physical and emotional pain. The physical pain of cancer is excruciating. It creates an impenetrable layer of fear that can soon make you wish death. It is clear and loud, like a bomb. Emotional pain can be the opposite. It is so quiet and ineffable that we can't notice it as it takes over our life and then crawls all over us like a slimy snail. Both can take us into the most immense loneliness, and both can kill us, or liberate us.

Why can pain liberate us? Because when we face it, we make the decision to be free. Even if we cannot get rid of the pain, we can be free to start finding a new way to live, a new way to see. There are terrible things in the world, and I cannot console or offer any words of comfort to the victims of all the terrible errors of humanity, or to the victims of illness or even of pure chance. All I can say, from my very limited perspective, is that when people embrace their experience of pain, they make a difference in the lives of those who are just beginning to live it, and as a result, their own lives acquire purpose. Of all the things I read about cancer during the moments when I first had to face it, only the stories of survivors stayed with me. That was all I had, and that was all I held on to. The Magdalene had more than I did at the time. She had her faith in the Resurrection.

Whether we understand the Resurrection as a literal or interpretative event, faith remains the base of its redeeming power. Faith is the notion that we can be reborn out of a life-changing experience. Mary Magdalene was reborn through her tears of pain, the same tears that brought her liberation from being a woman to being a human being in its full expression. Her tears formed the veil she penetrated in order to see the true nature of her teacher, and in order to see her own true nature. It was through her faith in her vision of the Resurrection that she brought the news to the world that we were more than just our flesh, that we were beyond sin. If we accepted the redeeming nature of death and rebirth, we would be born into a new being free from the archaic notion of sin, free from judgement, free from the restraints we had invented in response to fear. She brought faith in answer to fear, rebirth in answer to death.

So from now on, when we go to a museum or a church and see a crying Magdalene, we can choose to remember that the purpose of the Crucifixion was the Resurrection, and that the tears we see washed her eyes of the illusion of death in order to see life. Her vision, of life reborn, of life never dead, can be the warp and weft on which we can place our faith to believe that out of our pain, a new life can be born.

***

Tanya

Prayerfully painting for more love, for more peace, for more faith, for our world to be reborn.

http://www.tanyatorres.com

Song of the Magdalene: Mary Magdalene of the Hibiscus

Mary Magdalene of the Hibiscus, Oil on panel, 9" x 12", 2010. $350

A couple of years ago, I received a hibiscus plant from my husband. The flowers are particularly beautiful and "magdalenic." The colors are those I use to paint Magdalenes: yellow, fuschia, red and the mix of all these, bright orange. The plant would bloom every day with a new hibiscus or two. And I enjoyed each of them, looked forward to them, photographed them, told people about them. They were such a gift! A gift I needed to pass on.

I once read a book titled The Gift. It is an investigation on the nature of the gift. When we think of a gift, we think of something we might give or get, but what this book explained is that a gift is something that is meant to be passed on. Well, pass on, but not as in "regifting"! When we pass on a gift, we honor the gift we really like!

When we are given a gift, we are supposed to also give a gift. We do not have to give it to the same person who originally gave us the gift, but we can pass it on to someone else. The book told about a tribe where a gift would be passed around the different members of the community, with its pertinent gratitude ceremonies, until it reached full circle. The gift was a precious object, but what made it really meaningful was the action of giving it, of passing it on to someone else.

This book was assigned in one of my art classes. Although back then I didn't understand why, now I think it is important for artists, as well as people in all professions, to consider the nature of their gift. We come into the world with certain talents or inclinations. If we are lucky and obstinate, we develop them. But what good are they if they just stay hidden from the world. These talents, aptitudes, gifts we bring, are meant to be shared. This is the way we can help bring peace and harmony into the world. Have you ever given someone a very special gift? Have you made a gift with your own hands or worked hard to get enough money with the intention of buying a gift? Or even just looked up a thousand websites in search of something very, very special for someone you love? At that moment, when we search, make, work for the gift and at the time we give the gift, it is as if a light glows really bright. It creates a connection with the other person that shows the love that the gift brings. And our souls, in that connection, feel fulfilled and in love. We can think of everything we do as a gift. When we spend time with someone, we give them a gift. When we write a letter, or a blog!, we give a gift. When we work, we offer our knowledge and aptitude as a gift to those who receive the product of our work. Doesn't this make work sound a lot better?!

This is why I painted the flowers around Mary Magdalene, offering her a gift in gratitude for her many gifts, passing on a gift made with love. Mary Magdalene has been an immense gift for me. I paint her in the hope that I can offer that gift back to the world so that it will not remain stagnant inside of me. I hope that I can give you the bright colors of love that the Magdalene gives me, so that you can transform them in your own heart, and in the fire of your own passion, and share them with the world... until it comes full circle and we all get to share in the great gift of life.

***

 If you would like greeting cards or a print, I invite you to visit my store!

Song of the Magdalene: Mary Magdalene of the Heart

Mary Magdalene of the Heart, Oil on canvas, 16" x 20", 2010

An ancient Egyptian quote reads: "The Heart is the source of all knowledge." In my paintings, this is the meaning of the heart. Mary Magdalene meditates with her heart, made visible here. We process information with our mind, but we really get to learn it when we distill it in our heart. What good are numbers or facts or theories if we cannot use them for a noble purpose?

Mary Magdalene learned about love, and this knowledge transformed her by letting her shed her old self to become what we call a saint, or an enlightened being through whom love flows directly from the Source. In order for this to happen, her entire being must have had become connected to her heart. The teachings she received were transformed into knowledge at the center of her being, where her purity and innocence remained intact behind all the layers of life she must have carried as a human being, just like each of us.

In the chakra system, the heart chakra is at the center of the chest. It stands for love, acceptance, compassion, forgiveness, renewal, harmony, growth and peace. Mary Magdalene's heart is filled with all of these, and with fire. In the passionate fire of the heart, we patiently simmer all that is good until we create the healthy concoction that sustains us and gives us a clear perception of all that surrounds us. It is the antidote to fear and the elixir of a purposeful life.

Is there any other purpose to life than love? When we light it with the fire of passion, it melts the ice that fear tries hard to keep unthawed.

Song of the Magdalene: Mary Magdalene of the Light

Mary Magdalene of the Light, Oil on Canvas Board, 16" x 20", 2010

I do not claim to know about everything I paint. In fact, it is through painting that I find clues as to what I should be learning. Painting the Magdalene has guided me in discovering the larger dimensions of our world.

I often get the urge to draw a canvas when it is impossible to begin painting, such as the last few minutes in my studio before leaving for the night. I remember I drew this Magdalene at one such moment, and then, months later, began painting. Since this is a very symmetrical image, I knew I must work in ways that complement its symmetry, but also help the eye move around the painting and provide variety. I found myself lightening more and more certain areas of her face, and semi realizing that I was painting the chakras.

I knew extremely little about the chakras. I knew there were chakras, and that's pretty much it. I must have seen pictures, no doubt, but it still surprised me to be painting the Magdalaene with chakras. The painting stayed unfinished in my living room for probably more than one year, or even two. I was not sure how to finish it, or why I had painted it. I really didn't feel qualified to paint things with chakras, but in the meantime, I began learning about color, energy and healing. Although there is still much to learn, I believe I finally understand why I painted the Magdalene this way.

I believe the human Magdalene to have been an enlightened being. Some scholars say that "the seven demons" that Jesus Christ casted out of her refer to an alignment of the seven chakras. She received a healing, and what this means, above all, is a shift in consciousness. A shift in consciousness means leaving behind old patterns and behaviors to emerge as a new being. Her chakras glow because she is light and energy. Her halo, the crown chakra that connects her to LOVE, glows large and bright. Mary Magdalene, by opening herself to Infinite Love, let her energy flow freely and thus became enlightened. She "let it shine", like my friend Pablito would say!

On July 25, I exhibited these Magdalenes for the first time at St. Mark's Church in the Lower East Side. It was a very special occasion for me because I had wanted this from the beginning. And it was a great and unexpected gift when the reverend asked me to place some of the paintings on the altar. The smaller ones went on the altar while the bigger ones, including this one, were on easels in front of a large and rustic cross, almost "at the foot of the Cross" like the biblical Mary Magdalene. When the mass ended and I was getting ready to teach a workshop, a man asked me if I would let him show me "your masterpiece". He said it was one of those pieces that artists paint once in their lifetime. He said it was my Modigliani! Modigliani is one of my favorite artists, so I got curious, Which is it? I thought. Well, he meant this painting, and I could never have expected it. Only time will be able to tell if it is my best piece! But I am glad that this Magdalene spoke to him so deeply. And I am grateful to him for sharing his feelings with me.

Painting Mary Magdalene has taken me to very unexpected places. She has guided me to learn about energy and healing, colors and their healing properties. I think this is a miracle: She is guiding me where I need to go, but where I would never dare go all by myself!

Song of the Magdalene: Mary Magdalene of the Roses

Mary Magdalene of the Roses, 40" x 60", Oil on Canvas, 2010. Formerly at Holy Rosary Church (now closed) in East Harlem. Now back in my home.

In 2007, I decided to change my life. I accepted a mural commission that providentially was offered to me when I made this decision, and ever since I have been a full time artist, even if this sometimes means having the greatest faith imaginable that all will be well and that my ability to survive, as well as retain my integrity as an artist, will be long-lasting. One of the reasons I made this decision was that I wanted to paint Magdalenes, and see them within the context of the larger world outside my studio. I wanted one of my Mary Magdalenes to be in a church.

In 2009, I attended a Catholic funeral mass for my friend's mother. I had written a poem for my friend and her mom as a way to express my condolences, and they were going to read it in the mass, so she invited me to attend. I had already spent more than a year visiting churches and spiritual centers "by chance", but I had not even once gone into a Catholic church, the church of my childhood, where my grandmother would take me every Sunday. Just the week before I had had an experience that indicated that I should go to a Catholic church, so receiving the invitation to the funeral mass was, well, opportune. I was there early enough to find a place to seat in the tiny and crowded chapel. The priest said that we should begin by reading the poem. And he did, and he continued with the mass, and continued with the poem as well. In fact, he kept interrupting the mass to read verses, and I wanted to hide under the rug because he kept asking me to come to bring poetry to the Church. Dios mío, that must have been one of the most embarrassing moments of my life, and you can't really lie to a priest during Mass! But how do you say no?! He waited for me at the end of the mass, held my hand, and took me to his office, where he an his friend Judy convinced me to help them out...

The story continues, but the point is that this is how my wish of having a Magdalene in a church came to be. Father Gilbert and I became good friends, and I met all the Puerto Rican ladies who take care of the church. They kind of immediately adopted me. I adopted them too. I began L.I.F.E., Art and Letters, and this Magdalene, the biggest painting I have ever painted.

Because it was always meant to be in a church, this Magdalene holds the customary alabaster jar and has no Vesica Venus... It also brings together all the other elements I strive for: the iconic face; the color red in all its shades; the great bright yellow halo that could be the Sun or the light of the Christ; the flowing folds of the dress like a river of passion that envelops the Magdalene; the dove of the Holy Spirit always near her, Sophia present in her presence; just a little bit of darkness under the dress. And yellow roses. For this one, I wanted yellow roses.

One of Raquel's songs in her CD Las 7 Salves de La Magdalena mentions "Yellow flowers for the Magdalene". I believe in her prophetic vision, and in being a faithful contributor to our mythology in the works, so I wanted to give the Magdalene yellow roses. I went to all the flower shops in my neighborhood and beyond, looking for affordable yellow roses. I could not find any, so I went home empty handed. Soon, however, Judy, the woman I met at Father Gilbert's office the day he kidnapped me, came to visit me with a gift: a big bunch of yellow roses. I had not told her I needed yellow roses! Does this qualify as a miracle?

The roses lasted long enough for me to paint them, actually, longer than any bunch of roses I have ever held in my hands. I had never painted roses, but drawing and painting have one trick that, if you learn it, helps you paint anything: seeing in terms of value and shape. You need to stop looking at a rose as a rose, and just see the lightness and darkness, the shape, the lines that make up the shapes. The roses came out pretty well!

I am very partial to this Magdalene. It might be because it took more than six months to paint it and because I worked and reworked it until it was time to let her go. She is now a bright presence in a very depressed environment. The material poverty of my neighborhood reflects itself faithfully in this church. So my Mary Magdalene is there and I think she is telling all of us to brighten up! Life is beautiful! Roses have thorns, and last such a short time, but would we want to stop loving and enjoying them just because of that?

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If you would like to commission a Magdalene, Email me!

For reproductions or greeting cards, visit my store!

Song of the Magdalene: Mary Magdalene of the Leaves

Mary Magdalene of the Leaves, Oil on Canvas, 30” x 40”, 2008

11. I believe mythology is based in truth, but not necessarily historical fact.

12. I believe that mythology is a valid foundation for spirituality.

LESA BELLEVIE

Personal Manifesto

When I first started painting Mary Magdalene of the Leaves, I thought of exploring Margaret Starbird's notion (in her book The Woman with the Alabaster Jar) of Mary Magdalene as "the vine" or secret wife of Jesus Christ. I have never seen a vine, or at least I have never paid attention to a real-life vine, so I looked at some pictures of roots and leaves. In the end, I kept the leaves, that form a halo of nature's gifts around the Magdalene. And I also kept the vine, which is hidden under her dress, that very dark place at the bottom center of the painting, a secret place. In the end, I think the iconographic reference works, even though it is invisible and only you and I know about it.

As I continued to study and assimilate all the different things that are written about Mary Magdalene, I began to move away from traditional iconography and embrace my own mythology, created over time with my dear friend and creative partner Raquel Z. Rivera. It was then that the Magdalene started evolving into Our Lady of Lexington, Patroness of all faithful creative ones who don't believe in anything, but believe in the redeeming quality of the creative act. My own faith has only grown in the process, and now I believe in everything.

Today, as I was visiting the blog The Magdalene Review by Lesa Bellevie, who is also the person behind Magdalene.org, I wanted to sign her Personal Manifesto. I found the two points in the quote above, among many others, that describe what Raquel and I have been striving for. I do not feel the need for the Magdalene to be more than an idea because I believe in the imagination as a creative force. All the stories about the Magdalene enrich my view and my references, and as she continues to grow, she points me to never before explored territories that are both fascinating and informative. I absolutely loved Margaret Starbird's book, it is so rich in information and connections, but I do not need them to be true for me to embrace the Magdalene. She is real because I make her real in my own imagination, and because she represents what I feel a human being has the potential to be: the embodiment of Ataraxia. She attained realization through knowledge, learning, experience and faith.

As a woman, the historical Magdalene believed in herself, and was not afraid of being among men who were often dismissive and aggressive towards her. Like Don Miguel Ruiz says "It's not about you, it's about them"... she let them be and continued to learn from her Rabboni. I think this is one of the best lessons the Magdalene has to offer, not so much in terms of machismo since it's about time we all get over that, but in terms of self-responsibility. In order to grow and evolve, we all need to take responsibility for our own circumstances. If a First Century Jewish woman could do it, then we all can!

I retouched this Magdalene just before her public appearance on September 10, 2010. She is very miraculous! A couple years ago the wind blew her away during a street fair and she came out unscathed! She has also fallen, had a bunch of dust fall all over her, gone up and down the four stories between my home and my studio (several times), and been caressed by my cat Mixta on various occasions. Yet, this is not why I retouched her. I feel I have grown a great deal in my painting technique and in my ability to catch weak spots over the last few years. So I wanted her to look the best she could. She is the Patron Saint of Gardeners, and they will all come after me if I don't make her look like the most beautiful flower in the field!

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Reproductions and greeting cards are available.