Local artist donates paintings to church

Artist Mark Clark isn't quite sure if he had a religious vision in 1981 or if it was just a dream. But it was that year when the Virgin of Guadalupe became his favorite saint.

In the midst of developing a painting regarding a time of turmoil, he clearly saw her in his dreams and knew he must include her image in the painting. "It was so surreal," Clark said Saturday.

Before then, she had been barely familiar to Clark.

Now, a painting of the Virgin that he began on her feast day, Dec. 12, and finished the day after Christmas, is destined for the Our Lady of the Visitation Catholic Church, which is undergoing renovations after being closed for at least 20 years.

Clark, owner of Galeria 409, a Brownsville art gallery, also is donating another of his paintings to the church in Santa Maria. This painting is a replica of the Crucifixion - from a Manuel Manilla print.

The Diocese of Brownsville, with assistance from the Texas Historical Commission and Cameron County Historical Commission, is renovating the church. If fundraising activities go as planned, the rural church could be reopened within two years.

Clark's works have been displayed at galleries and museums and are in private collections and he's excited that they also will be in a church.

"It's a public place of worship and it puts art on a whole other level," Clark said as the painting of the Virgin continues to dry.