A Virgin A Day #11

This week, I read of many who had lost loved ones.  So much sorrow so close to Christmas.  I was moved to search Our Lady of Sorrows and discovered this unusual portrait created by the artists below.  Friends who are grieving - this is for you.

John and Marilyn Moyes are among the earliest residents of the Kayenta community in Ivins--a town nestled at the base of the Red Mountains in southwestern Utah.  The artists gain inspiration from the immediacy of nature and culture of the southwest.  Aside from the red rock cliffs and panoramic views of the Santa Clara plateau, they are influenced by the political and cultural histories of people throughout the Americas.  They embrace the American heritage of mixed cultures, often drawing from the Old West as well as Spanish colonial religious iconography.  Their works have included imagery of southwestern landscapes as well as portraits of Native Americans and influential artists.

John and Marilyn have been creating art for over thirty years.  The pair have focused on wood working, with an emphasis on cabinet-making, for approximately twenty-five years. All cabinets are completely handcrafted by John with mortise and tenon joinery.  Comprehensive finishing processes of carving, painting, staining, sanding, burning, and waxing make up rich, multi-layered "canvases" for Marilyn's mixed media paintings of metals, glass, paper, and miscellaneous found objects.  Quality craftsmanship is evident in each fully finished work--woodwork details at the rear and interior of each cabinet, interior finishing (including the undersides of shelves and interior side panels), hardware details, and often a second painting by Marilyn on the interior of the cabinet door.

More of their beautiful work can be found at http://www.villasandverandas.com/mm.htm