I am drawn to images of the Blessed Virgin and Madonnas probably instilled by my mother’s devout faith and the many novenas I attended when young.

This version of The Black Madonna of Częstochowa is drawn from the original Black Madonna image of Poland. On one of my forays to visit family in Poland, I was fortunate to visit Częstochowa and was very moved by the reverence shown to Our Lady, not just in the church service and in the city, but throughout Poland.

In this version, however, I wanted to underscore her African race by giving the Ethiopian woman an extra finger. Supernumerary digits are 10 X more common in folks of African decent than in Caucasians. There is at least one legend of people born with an extra finger who possess the strength of a giant.

Here, the Virgin is imbued with giant strength, expressed in her warmth and gentleness. There is no rigidity in her power as she motions with her hand to show us the way to the heart.

Originally created as an 8.5″ X 11″ Chalk Pastel on Sandpaper, she is now available as a 13″ X 19″ Hand Signed and Numbered Pigment Print $75.00.

Please note, the (C) watermark is only visible on the digital image and will not appear on your print.