A drawing for a painting that will be titled Mary Magdalene of the Bees. 2015. Many of my paintings are inspired by readings, and by documentaries about science, archaeology and history. When I encounter an idea that gives me a clear image in my mind, I paint it. The book The Lost Gospel, which I first discovered in documentary form, gave me such an image. But before painting, I took time to read the book, write about it for my website in about.com, Ángeles y milagros, and to

I started painting Mary Magdalene in 2005, after reading Margaret Starbird's book, The Woman with the Alabaster Jar. The book inspired me with its references to art and other images, such as the Black Virgin and the Tarot. At the time I was not knowledgeable of any of these themes. I had only read The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, which made me wonder where the author had gotten his information. The book was fun to read, but it was the research about Mary Magdalene that intrigu

My band Raquel Z. Rivera & Ojos de Sofía released in 2010 the CD Las 7 salves de La Magdalena / 7 Songs of Praise for The Magdalene featuring songs of praise for the mythical Mary Magdalene. I composed most of the lyrics and music, but received key creative input and support from dear friends who had also been captivated by the Magdalene—chief among them was Tanya Torres. This CD would not have happened without her love, companionship and paintings. Below, a video of our CD'

I have been writing the site Ángeles y milagros in About.com since 2012, where I have added a series of articles in Spanish about Mary Magdalene. Here is a link to this work in progress: Artículos en español sobre María Magdalena por Tanya Torres

This site was a gift. One of the many gifts I have received from Mary Magdalene during the 10 years I have devoted to painting her and learning about her. Lesa Bellevie, the original creator of Magdalene.org, chose me for the task of continuing this work. She said I could use it in any way I wanted, so I have placed my Magdalene images, the interview she did with me, and this blog, in which I hope to publish work by those who love the Magdalene. I invite you to submit your im