From Shadow into Light
By María Rangel Cardenas
“For me you have changed my mourning into dancing,
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy:
So my soul sings psalms to you unceasingly.
O Lord my God, I will thank you for ever.”
Psalm 30:11-12
From Shadow into Light
What a joy it is to be able to share the details of a painting commission that I finished last year, in 2025, during Easter time. In fact, I was painting “At His Feet” (seen above) during Holy Week, and it was, indeed, a deeply blessed time.
My local Catholic parish church commissioned me to paint "At His Feet". It is a depiction of the beautiful crucifix that hangs behind the altar at our Catholic parish here in San Bernardino county.
Our parish crucifix and the inspiration for my painting “At His Feet”.
It was such a gift to do this painting, since I have often looked up at this crucifix in prayer. In fact, I painted it at the angle that I would normally see it on Sundays, sitting with my children and husband at Holy Mass.
My painting was used as the cover of our Parish Church Photo Album. And, as a thoughtful gift to our Pastor Father Del, the original painting was purchased and presented to him at a special fundraiser dinner.
Father Del receiving my painting “At His Feet” from me.
My painting process isn’t always as easy as I would hope it would be. Oftentimes, when I paint, there is a moment when my heart drops, and I wonder… “Did I mess it up?”
There is that moment of fear when I don’t know what to do; when my initial idea hits a wall, and now my work looks nothing like what I had envisioned.
But then, I take a minute. I say a prayer and regroup. Sometimes I put it away and try again the next day.
And somehow, I begin to take small steps in the direction that I need to go. And then finally, the painting is finished! Sometimes it is better than I thought it was going to be. Sometimes it’s not—which can be humbling.
But always, it is a good reminder that I am only a little artist trying to paint the things of God—and sometimes, God Himself.
All for His Glory! (Even my mistakes along the way. )
Behind the Scenes
These photos show the “underpainting” stage, which is where an artist likes to map out the light and the shadow areas of a painting.
I, sometimes, like to use the color yellow ochre, since some of the warmth of the yellow will eventually influence the color of the final painting.
Limited Color Palette
For this painting, I was working with a limited palette of Golden’s Open line of slow-drying acrylics. A limited palette is when you use just a few colors in a painting. It is a great way to help unify the colors in a painting—giving it a cohesive look. The following are the paint colors I used:
Payne’s Gray
Titanium White
Yellow Ochre
Burnt Sienna
Raw Umber
The paint colors I used.
These may be the tiniest feet I have ever painted. I needed a smaller brush!
His face. My favorite part of the painting.
You can find art prints of my painting "At His Feet" here!
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Easter 2026
This Easter, I had the blessing of singing in our church’s choir for Holy Week and Easter Vigil Mass. We had 14 people being baptized/entering the Church! So beautiful!
Just a few months ago, I joined the music ministry at our parish church. I used to sing in my college’s choir (Thomas Aquinas College), but it has been years since I have sung in front of people. Talk about being nervous to start singing again after so many years!
I also had the profound privilege of singing the Exsultet—an ancient, solemn hymn announcing the Resurrection of Jesus Christ sung at the beginning of the Easter Vigil Mass. It was almost 9 minutes of non-stop singing! (And that was the short form.) I practiced for six weeks! And through the intercession of St. Mary Magdalene, who was given the task of announcing the Resurrection of Jesus to the apostles, I was able to sing it with very few mistakes.
It was so amazing standing at the ambo (the pulpit) for the Easter Vigil Mass, singing the Exsultet and looking out at a the dark church with a sea of glowing candles. I felt so grateful and had to hold back tears at one point while singing.
My husband was able to capture a short video to give you an idea of what it sounded like. You will be able to hear my favorite part of the Exsultet:
"Be glad, let earth be glad, as glory floods her, ablaze with light from her eternal King, let all corners of the earth be glad, knowing an end to gloom and darkness.”
The whole hymn is so beautiful. You can find the text here, if you would like to read it.
(The Exsultet is usually sung by the priest or deacon, but when there is a need, a cantor can sing it.)
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May the blessings of these Holy Days and the joy of Easter fill your heart with a deep peace and knowledge of God’s everlasting love for you.
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