Mary Drop: ‘Familiar Encounters’
First and foremost I must acknowledge, that without having the confidence to reach out to an artist I admire, this piece would’ve never crossed my mind.
First impressions are always important, depending on that impression, is how others will remember you or be reminded of you.
That being said, it was Fevra who tagged me in the post for the submission form for the Reimagining of Saint Mary to be curated by Lowbrow and Saint Mary on Collector SH.
Something somewhere made him think of me and what my version may look like.
My mind went wild with so many ideas running through my mind and what would finally transpire would be a merger of all of them into one.
The Research
I had to jot down a few key elements that came to mind, Mary being the most obvious but how?
I remember seeing her as a statue at home, as the stained glass art at church, and much more growing up Catholic.
I remembered a few things about the piece, I’d seen it many times in many different styles, painted and illustrated by many different artists.
We discussed the many depictions during Art History class and the symbolism for every detail.
Symbolism
Mary is usually depicted to have a heart in front of her and the heart can be displayed in many ways.
The use of white flowers/lilies often times was used to represent, purity of heart.
The flames stood for the love Mary had for everyone.
The love she had regardless of the hate and shame she received.
This would be of importance to me, as she has been said to be so kind and gentle of heart even at first encounter.
Growing Up Catholic
The Hail Mary prayer was probably the first thing I thought of when I saw the poster talking about the open submissions.
I remember having to remember this when I was younger for the first communion and then again for confirmation.
But Mary’s image was everywhere or how I remember, La Virgen de Guadalupe (Our Lady of Guadalupe) which was also the name of the church we’d attend.
The specific image I remember is Mary wearing the cloak with stars, with the roses around her brought to her by Juan Diego.
This image always reminds me of my grandmother who served at the church by helping clean and many other things as a part of the Guadalupanas.
I recall the time I came out gay to my grandmother and how hard I found doing so, in fact, I’d been pushing it off as I knew how devoted she was.
I will never forget her face and what she said
“Quien soy yo para juzgar”
Which translates to “Who am I to judge” as she held tears in her eyes and hugged me tight.
“Mientras seas una buena persona, sigas siendo buena y haciendo el bien y ayudando a otros, es todo lo que importa.”
Which translates to “As long as you are a good person, continue to be good and do good and help others, that’s all that matters.”
That’s a message I’ve always carried with me.
Who are we to judge?
We are here to love one another and support and help each other overcome hardships.
We are here to encourage each other to do our best and grow together.
That’s what I choose to do here in Solana and that’s what I continue to do in life.
Be good, be kind, and spread love.
Mary + Art History
There is no doubt whether you are catholic or not, you have come across many Madonna and Child and/or paintings of Mary alone.
As I began my studies for my Graphic Design degree, we were required to take some fundamental art classes; one of them was Art History.
I learned more about Neo-Platonism and Byzantine art.
I recall having to go to the local art museum and always finding the area with this collection of art to be eerie and creepy.
They all had gold plating on them and were very detailed.
You could see the texture in the brushes and sometimes even see the hair that was left across the canvas from the strokes.
Mary/madonna always seemed to look so sad.
Final Result
In the end, I tried merging all my experiences into one.
Giving a tribute to my grandmother, depicting what I remember from Art History, while placing a bit of me into the piece.
If you have not followed my past work, I usually create illustrations that merge my love for space with music and 90’s pop culture references.
For this one, I kept my astronaut which I identify as, within the scene and had her holding Mary’s heart/love and being careful and kind to Mary while in return giving love.
I tied it all together with the following description for the piece.
How you determine to live here on earth will make a big difference in the long run.
Remember first impressions are everything.
The way you treat someone now will make a difference even if it’s the last and only time you encounter each other.
One small act of kindness can make mean the world in someone's life.
Be the love you wish to see in the world.
Mary was not always received with kindness but still, it did not keep her from being kind.
One can only hope to always encounter others as if they knew each other from a past life as if they were the oldest friends.
Always be kind to those you meet, first impressions do matter and sometimes that first impression can be the kindness someone needed.
Check out the Artists that make up The Mary Drop.
It went live on April 25th via CollectorSH where you can now collect one of the 28 different renditions of Mary by one of the 28 amazing artists below.
Spread the love and follow these creatives of Solana.