Carved Statue of the Virgin Mary c. 1939

This Carved Statue of the Virgin Mary was rendered in watercolor and pencil by Vera Van Voris, who lived a long life, dying in 1995. I can just imagine Van Voris discovering this weathered chunk of wood, maybe in a barn, and deciding there was a Mary inside it, just waiting to be revealed. Look at the way the texture of the wood grain becomes the folds of her cloak! It’s a testament to seeing potential in the discarded. It is a very specific vision, this Mary is. I wonder if Van Voris had folk art in mind, and how the image of this Mary would sit with images of the virgin in the museums. So many conversations across time! Each artist, and each viewer, adds their own layer. It makes me think about process, seeing, believing, and how an artwork is never truly finished but continues to evolve with each new encounter.