Today is the day people celebrate the Virgen de Guadalupe’s feast day — the day in Mexican history when it is believed she appeared to Juan Diego. I’m not Catholic and I wasn’t born in Mexico so I did not grow up recognizing this day but I just wanted to share what the Virgin Mary means to me as a Chicana artist.

Always beloved.
Blessed among women.
Symbolic of how many roles we take on as women.
Always an icon.
Beautiful.

Earlier this year I was commissioned to paint two portraits of la virgen. How sad I was to see them go. But I have to remind myself they were never mine in the first place–they were created for someone else. Still, I’m always emotional letting them go.

What I love about painting the virgen is how beautiful I can make her. Her hair, her lips, her robe, the heavenly glow around her.  This is the first time I actually incorporated glitter in my pieces.

Not real glitter. I’m not ready for that yet. Glitter glue is as far as I’ll go at this stage in my life.

I keep telling myself I’m going to paint her just for myself but I haven’t yet. For now, someone else gets to feast on her beauty.

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