Virgin Mary Garden Alter

Medium: Mixed media on printed canvas, 40” x 32” on a wooden and Masonite stretcher. 

Materials: Acrylic paint, oil paint, The Blackest Black paint, and interference blue on the Mary statue

This piece captures a garden tucked behind my alma mater, Barry University in Miami Shores. Every other morning, on my way to art history class, I would pass by this space, mesmerized by the way the light touched the foliage and the quiet presence of the Virgin Mary statue. It was a place of stillness, a moment of reflection before stepping into the busy life of being a student.

I wanted to amplify what I saw to push beyond reality and infuse the scene with an altered, almost psychedelic energy. The result is a heightened version of what I remember: vibrant, pulsating with color, and illuminated beyond what nature alone could offer. The interplay of light and texture transforms this ordinary garden into something otherworldly. Its a dreamlike vision of a familiar place, seen through the lens of memory and imagination.