The Story Behind Neon Mary

I had turned into a narrow, crowded alley in East LA and there was a bin overflowing with trash. On the top was a broken statue of the Madonna. It seems strange to say her eyes were staring straight at me- but I circled the block three times to try to park so I could rescue her. I wrapped her in my jacket and took her to my art studio. I called her Mary.

 

As a collector of vintage treasures, I wanted to design an appropriate setting so Mary would be in a beautiful place. First I used a plastering compound to heal the statues breakage as best I could. Then I built a small, solid oak veneer shelf for her to stand on.

 

I had an elegant 1920s curved French mirror with delicate wings etched in the glass and designed a steel and chrome frame in which to mount the mirror. This would form the background and reflect Mary’s presence. You see her broken self in the mirror’s reflection, but whole and complete as you view her from the front.

 

Finally, I wanted to create a light to show her eyes and the serenity in her pose. I crafted a halo made of soft, white neon.

 

The result is an assemblage art piece that restores the dignity of a found object and becomes “Mary in Neon”.

 

Neon Mary is on loan to the Oncology Department at St John's Hospital, Santa Monica. She can  be seen at the 4th floor lobby entrance.