from these hands...

Madonna and Meaning.

Each Madonna I create carries her own story, woven with layers of symbolism.

Pink roses embody joy, gratitude, and positivity. They remind us of the sweetness of life, of tender moments and blessings that deserve to be cherished. Yellow roses bring warmth, light, and friendship—a reminder that joy is multiplied when it is shared. Together, pink and yellow roses create a harmony of happiness, radiating a vibrant and whole life.

La Alegría is both a celebration and a devotion: a Madonna who invites us to embrace joy in its fullness, to carry gratitude in our hearts, and to remember that even in life’s shadows, the light of joy is always present.

Inspiration.

The Juan Diego cloak, or tilma, is a cactus-fiber cloak bearing the imprinted image of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Studies by scientists and historians have noted characteristics like the image's unique coloration, lack of known pigments, and apparent creation without traditional artistic methods like painting or brushstrokes.

Additionally, the 400-year-old cloak itself has shown remarkable resilience, surviving conditions like nitric acid spills and bombings that should have caused its disintegration.

Displayed in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

The Gown.

The Rose is divine love, beauty, grace, and the mysteries of the soul.

They are thought to radiate pure energy and a connection to the Divine.

The unfolding petals can symbolize a new stage of wisdom or understanding.

Opening to the underskirt of vintage lace from a wedding dress. This lace is so beautiful and holds roses in its design.

Opening to the Roses of Joy layout of pink and yellow.

Black and white are scattered within to symbolize.

Back view of roses that surround her.

Details.

Each Madonna has a "Corazón". The Spanish translation is Heart, but it can also refer to the center of our courage.

Open palms to receive. That is the balance of life to give and to receive.

Close-up of Rose fabric collage. Each rose was either created from a fabric print or digitally designed in a photo program and printed onto fabric. All are appliques fused and then topstitched.

Close-up of the lace with silk satin ribbons that were hand-woven into the lace.

View of interior with stitching.

Left side of her gown.
Each rose is deliberately placed to give the gown its flow.

Right side of her gown. Balanced to the left side.

Back view of the stitching rising to peaks.

This gives us the understanding that we, too, can rise.

The interior rose. We all hold a Rose of joy, gratitude, and positivity within.

Silk shoes. Delicate.

It is her footprints that walk the Earth to bring Joy to all.

Wooden Halo to crown her head.

Particulars:

Clay, Silk, Cotton, Wood, Metal.

Wall piece

30" tall, 15" wide at skirt base.

Research of Interest.

Juan Diego's cloak was made of corn husks. What would be a fabric of today that could emulate that? Linen! I found this vintage linen that has a gold thread running through it. I dyed the fabric and then created the bodies of this magnificent piece. By the way, I purchased everything the shop had. They will truly be one of a kind, starting with their bodies!

Questions?? Contact: Leslie

The Madonna: A New Beginning

Symbolism has always been at the heart of my art. I find myself drawn to the stories, textures, and hidden meanings that weave themselves into each piece I create. Recently, I’ve felt a clear calling to begin a new series: The Madonnas.

The Inspiration.

The story of La Virgen de Guadalupe is about the Virgin Mary's appearance to an Indigenous man, Juan Diego, in Mexico in 1531. Speaking to him in his native language, Nahuatl, she asked him to have the bishop build a shrine to her on Tepeyac Hill. When the bishop asked for proof, Juan Diego was instructed by the Virgin to gather Castilian roses, which were out of season, and place them in his cloak, or tilma. When he opened the cloak before the bishop, the roses spilled out, revealing a miraculous image of the Virgin Mary imprinted on the fabric.

Interesting side note: Miraculous.

Unexplained durability: The cloak is made of agave fibers, which are naturally supposed to last only about 30 years, but the image has miraculously remained intact for nearly 500 years, baffling scientists. The image itself contains no signs of paint or brushstrokes and is thought to have been printed all at once.

The Fabric for the Madonna Bodies.

As Juan Diego's cloak was made of corn husks, I asked, what would be a fabric of today that could emulate that? Linen! I found this vintage linen that has a gold thread running through it (forever thankful for CircaFabrics).

I dyed the fabric and then created the bodies of this magnificent piece. By the way, I bought everything the shop had in stock. I love using vintage fabrics. They will truly be one of a kind, starting with their bodies!

Things Known.

It starts like that, doesn't it? You know the direction you wish to take, but it remains somewhat elusive. I knew that I wanted to place my beloved symbolism into each. Of course, The Rose, and The Corazón.

I knew I wanted to explore the appliqué technique and expand on it as a collage effect. I needed a lot of images to create this, so I tried to use mainly cottons with accents of other fabrics. That's why I headed off to the quilt shop. I walked in determined to find roses. I started with a more vintage look in mind, but soon found myself drawn to the contemporary fabrics. The clarity of color and design was what stood out.

Moths- enter again.

I rounded the corner, and there in front of me were moths. MOTHS! Of course, there were moths.

The beauty of following your soul's heart is that it will always show up with the right thing. Every time I find I am in a transition, the Moth shows up.

The moth teaches us trust. She does not question the light; she moves toward it with certainty, knowing she will be sustained, knowing all will be provided for her.

La Luz: The Light

As I continue to shape this series, I wish to draw on my Spanish heritage, enriching it with my love of symbolism. The vision has revealed itself: Madonna of the Light — La Luz.

Light itself is a symbol of divine presence, of guidance, of the unseen made visible. In this Madonna, I am bringing forth the imagery of the moth—delicate, instinctive, and ever drawn to the flame. The moth teaches us trust. She does not question the light; she moves toward it with certainty, knowing she will be sustained, knowing all will be provided for her.

This small creature becomes a reminder of faith and surrender. Just as Juan Diego’s humble cloak bore the miraculous image, the moth shows us that even the most fragile beings are sustained by light. In La Luz, the gold-threaded linen will carry this symbolism, catching illumination as though the figure herself glows from within—an eternal flame calling us closer.

Head sculpted and covered in the linen:

Hand-tinted and painted features

Two Bodies Created. La Luz: The Light

La Rosa de la Alegría : The Rose of Joy

The Layout Process.

This can only be done with love and patience. I wanted the colors to transition from the hemline, which is darker, to rise up to her heart, where they become yellows...

Each Moth from the printed fabric is stabilized and cut out. That gave me the foundation. Then I created my own motifs in a photo program and printed them onto cotton fabric. I tried silk, but the color was not as vibrant.

I included black and white images to depict our balance of life.

Positioned and ready. I also added in silk and velvet silhouettes.

The final stage of this process is (my signature) topstitching.

Left side of her gown.

Right side.

Back side.

Final Images (with some notes).

The Moth weaves its cocoon to transform. La Luz, the underskirt with silk lining, and Matilla (head covering) are made from a loosely woven gauze to represent the cocoon from which she emerged.