Tanya Torres  
Art for Love, Peace and Joy

It's always a surprise and a great joy when someone sends me a message or request to use my art or connect in some way. One very special person with whom I had the pleasure to connect thanks to Mary Magdalene is Patti Ashley. It's been a few years, but recently she participated in my Painting Mary Magdalene online course and today she will be participating in Blossoming art exhibition during the Mary Magdalene Celebration. This artwork is part of the collective art exhibition

The soul of a poet is a powerful radar, and Myrna Nieves has cultivated her soul her entire life. Her perception of the Magdalene comes from her beautiful heart. Myrna describes her perception of the Magdalene in her own words: "I started this painting of Mary Magdalene many years ago, thinking of both her appearance at the time of Jesus, and as a symbol of the divine feminine for all ages, genres and racial identities of people around the world. I view her emergence in our h

Mercedes Molina started making dolls after her muse told her in a dream to do so. Ever since then she has been making spiritual dolls in the Puerto Rican tradition of black dolls. Mercedes creates dolls according to her intuition, and throughout the years, she has created hundreds of dolls for the spiritual practices of African ancestry religions in the New York community and beyond. The Magdalene doll was created with a different type of dress and purpose. But the doll itsel

With bright colors and a serene expression, Corazón Tierra's Magdalena Amor touches the heart with joy and tenderness. This painting was created after attending the Painting Mary Magdalene classes that took place earlier this year on Zoom. This piece began as a watercolor that was later enlarged and turned into an acrylic painting. During this process, Corazón further developed the ability to transfer her artistic dance skills into other media, a process that had already begu

María Mar is a multifaceted artist who has found her ideal medium in mixed media. Her colorful images speak messages to the soul with both image and word. María Mar shares her thoughts on this piece titled Mary Magdalene: ¡Florece! (Mary Magdalene: Blossom!): "Mary Magdalene rises once again from the depth of my heart, where she often whispers in a voice merged with other female avatars. Her voice emerges with an urgency that is ~paradoxically~ fused with joy, love and gratit

Minerva González interprets a traditional Mary Magdalene in unusual materials. In the artists own words: "Mary Magdalene was a faithful follower of the great teacher Jesus. He frees her from 7 demons and her love for him was so great that she spared no money, time, possessions, or anything else to serve him. She was the first to see the risen Christ." The Magdalene holds the cross, smiling knowingly and peacefully. She moves us to join her in her meditation. Minerva has been

In her painting El Sueño de Los Amantes Está Floreciendo... en NuYOrk, artist Leenda Bonilla celebrates the mature bloom of love and the feminine "en Nueva York." Leaves and flowers surround the woman, a mid-century Magdalene, her tears contained by shells from the sea. Two lovers embrace behind her, perhaps a memory or a dream, or something else. As a Puerto Rican artist living and creating culture in the Bronx, Leenda's green forest around the figure can exist in an empty

Laura Alvarez begins the story of the Magdalene as someone would tell a fairytale: "Maria Magdalena has cried through centuries. Through time, she spilled many tears, and they became a lake where flowers blossom reaching the sky..." Laura Alvarez's mythological creature takes inspiration from the Biblical and popular stories that portray the tears of the Magdalene, and builds meaning beyond the "crying Magdalene", imagining what might happen after centuries of tears. The Magd

Juanita Lanzó's abstract image is described by the artist as "a subjective reflection on life's ephemeral and transient aspect, and the promise of renewal and hope, mirroring Mary Magdalene' witnessing the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ." This small and powerful image subtly evokes a sense of interiority and flow into the unknown self. Earthy reds and traces of graphite guide us into the depths of the soul-body. It may suggest in one's mind the gnostic understanding o