Title: Our Lady of the Winter Snows
Medium:
Oil; 22kt gold, and sterling silver metal leaf; wax; antique
ceramic mosaic tile with 24k gold & sterling silver glazes;
on vintage wood planks of Ponderosa Pine wood panel reclaimed
from a 1904 wood mill and formed by an artisan wood worker into
a single panel.
Size: 24" wide x 36" tall
Date: 2006
Image Inspiration:
Painted on this sheets of sterling silver
to symbolize the ice and snow of the winter shrouded mountains,
the Madonna's face blends with the landscape as if seen through
a storm cloud. The line of her gaze even with the horizon of
mountains, she cradles her heart in her hand. The arteries end
in evergreen fronds, symbolizing the regeneration of nature. A
border of sterling silver glazed ceramic mosaic frames the
image, the two spirals on the bottom form an ancient symbol for
goddess eyes. Beyond that, black tones mixed with wax are
incised with shapes of flowers and leaves.
She is the hope and faith that despite cold
that can seem interminable, soft new life is within and we are
redeemed and reborn.
Note: Winter 2008
The image of Our Lady of Winter Snows has changed. I took a
casual photo (rather than take it back to my professional) as I
think it is adequate to show you the change.
This image and Guadalupe with Crown,
The World is Her Heart, are the only images painted ON sterling
silver leaf. The silver tarnished under the paint and the
Madonna's face darkened. At first, I was shocked. I take a lot
of care with buying the best archival art supplies and colors,
this was unexpected. I could have coated the darkened areas
with gesso and repainted the image, not incorporating the
silver, but I decided to keep it as it is.
The darkening reminds me of stories I grew up with about the Black Madonna, Our Lady of Czestochowa, that my Polish/Russian-American grandmother would tell me. She said that during a siege upon the church, the warring soldiers burned the church and the Madonna. But the Madonna only blackened and did not burn. She emerged whole, yet changed to a beautiful brown color. When I was very young, my grandmother would vary the story and say that the Madonna climbed into a nearby tree, but that version stopped around the time I quit believing in Santa Claus. Though my grandmother never said anything, I wonder if the story of The Black Madonna of Czestochowa wasn't her way to explain/create a connection between us. She had very light skin and red hair, a stark contrast to her Hispanic grandchildren's coloring. This story from her Polish heritage of a Madonna whose skin darkened created a connection in my very visual thinking style that made sense of my world.
I like that this Madonna has browned. The changeable aspect of the Divine Feminine, Mother Earth, the Madonna "browning" intrigues me.
Here is the new image:
Purchase this art or Commission Cristina to create a santos retablo.
