Mary Magdalene

Mary Magdalene is a powerful figure in the Bible and a mysterious one. I had a dream of Mary Magdalene and in the dream she asked me to paint her as the true women she really was. This led me to do extensive research about her. I learned that she never was a prostitute but instead a wise and learned women. There is strong evidence to believe that she was a student of Jesus. 

In 1896 a manuscript was found in Cairo, Egypt. It was called the Teachings of Mary Magdalene. It was eventually translated by the scholar Jean-Yves Leloup. This scholar carefully and lovingly worked with every single word of the manuscript to bring us an amazing glimpse into Mary Magdalene’s life, showing us she was a scholar and a very spiritual women and a teacher of principles of wisdom. In this document she was called the Woman Who Knew All.

I painted her in bright red, as it is a color associated with vibrancy and vitality. Her head is decorated with a golden veil as a symbol of precious knowledge. She holds a chalice in her hands with a Tree of Life on it. Holding as an invitation to drink and know. I paid close attention to depicting her face with grace and compassion, attributes she is said to have display often in her life’s journey. In painting this work and researching her life, I found a profound respect for her and the amazing women she was.