MAGDALENE CYCLE

Things buried or hidden have a will to be revealed.

These works were inspired by the Biblical story of Mary Magdalene. I was intrigued by the conflicting accounts of her life. Some say she was no fallen woman, but was in fact, a principal disciple of Jesus, and may even have been his wife and borne him children. For many, this notion is shocking, even heresy.

But, if true, then we must re-imagine a familiar protagonist. Think of depictions of Mary Magdalene in paintings through history as the wild red-haired harlot. Who is she in light of new information, new revelations?

I envision the mythic Mary Magdalene not as a figure, but as a kind of emerging energy. She swims underground through the sub-terranean world–through rocks and roots, encountering insects and other creatures of the soil. This journey takes centuries and passes through seasons, through weather and geologic events. Her reinstatement is an excruciating odyssey, moving through darkness and conflict, to light.