Fleur du Cœur

From the artist:

Twenty years ago, I created my first fleur-de-lis. I knew the fleur-de-lis as a symbol of Louisiana - of my culture, my home and the place that has shaped so much of my life and my art. When I began learning about its centuries-old association with the Virgin Mary, it deeply affected me. 

Three years ago, some women from Church Point walked into my studio looking for a donation for their church. That seemingly ordinary encounter began a chain of events I never could have planned. A priest entered my story and asked me to create sacred art. The Good Shepherd followed, and a new journey began. One sacred work led to another. And somehow, twenty years after that first fleur-de-lis, I found myself returning to the Virgin Mary.

When we look at the world around us we see division, suffering, violence, fear, distrust and uncertainty. Trust in governments, institutions and earthly authorities can be shaken. Families and communities can become divided. We can begin to wonder what is true, whom we can trust and where we are headed.

In this special work, Mary's tear is not a tear of surrender. It is a call to return to our trust in God. And then something happened that I never anticipated. Before I even released the completed artwork, I showed only Mary's face. And I watched her travel across the globe. Before the world had even seen the complete piece, that glimpse of her had approached 1.5 million views. People from different countries, cultures and languages stopped for her. They shared her. They spoke about what they felt when they looked into her face. I began to realize that perhaps people weren't responding only to a drawing. Perhaps people are searching. Searching for hope. Searching for peace. Searching for something greater than the noise surrounding us.

That is what Fleur du Cœur has become for me. The fleur-de-lis and Mary come together in one image - Louisiana, home, twenty years of art, and a journey of faith converging in a single work. And the tear is essential. On every signed print, I will personally create a permanent tear containing a piece of blessed salt, making the tear a physical part of the artwork and each signed piece individually finished by my hand. Salt has ancient meaning within Christianity. Christ called His followers "the salt of the earth." It speaks of preservation, purification and the responsibility to carry faith into the world. A tear for humanity. A grain of salt for faith. Because I do not believe we are powerless. We have the power to help turn this tide through prayer and fasting. Through repentance. Through mercy. Through loving one another. Through choosing faith instead of fear and placing our trust back where it ultimately belongs. Mary does not ask us to stop at her. She points us to her Son, Jesus Christ.