Catholic artist reveals how art gave her meaning back: I communicate what Jesus and Mary place in my heart

“I communicate what Jesus and Mary place in my heart,” he says. Emma Córdova Retoa Catholic artist whose life and art are deeply intertwined with her faith. For her, art is not just a technique, but a vehicle to express her relationship with God and a gift at the service of evangelization.

Emma She is Peruvian, originally from the province of Sullana, department of Piura, and is 34 years old. She is a plastic artist and English teacher. She is known on social networks for creating paintings of Jesus, Mary and saints in a naïve style, an artistic approach characterized by its simplicity and bright colors.

In an interview with ACI Prensa he shared his personal and creative path, as well as his mission to evangelize through his works.

A daughter of God called to art

Emma She proudly describes herself as “a daughter of God, whom Jesus called by my name, with my defects and virtues.”

Since she was little, her love for drawing and painting flourished, inspired by her family. “My brother and I used to spend several hours painting and drawing animes that we saw on TV,” he remembers. This talent was the beginning of a passion that he would later perfect in art school under the guidance of teacher Jack Pozo.

However, his true transformation occurred when he decided to consecrate his talent to God. After working for more than 12 years as an English teacher, Emma reached a turning point. “I felt like everything had become monotonous. It hurt me to think that I had forgotten my art,” he confesses.

This moment of dissatisfaction became a calling: “I decided to risk everything to communicate what Jesus and Mary placed in my heart. This regained the meaning of my existence for me.”

Faith, art and evangelization

Emma shares that her spiritual life is the source of her artistic inspiration. “The practice of the sacraments, prayer, the visit to the Blessed Sacrament and the works of mercy have been decisive for my work. This allows me to articulate my personal life with my professional life.”

Through her art, she seeks to transmit messages of faith and hope, combining her naive style with symbolic elements that evoke the sweetness and purity of life in holiness.

“My proposal has a responsibility: to put my talent at the service of the one who gave it to me,” he says humbly. Their works represent Jesus, Mary and the saints, highlighting values ​​such as peace, joy and the greatness of living according to the Gospel.

Furthermore, he integrates an environmental dimension in some of his creations, reflecting on God’s creation through organic shapes and essential colors. “It is an allegory of life that recognizes and thanks the Creator God for maintaining the life cycle.”

The process behind each work

Emma’s creative process is deeply influenced by her spiritual life, experiences and her environment. “My intention to create arises from contact with prayer with God the Father, from the practice of my faith and with an optimistic view of life and reality,” he explains. His work includes initial sketches that he then takes to develop on supports such as canvas, using oil or mixed techniques such as watercolors, graphite and ink.

Each work has a unique gestation time. “It is not a paint factory,” he clarifies. “I regularly do two or three works a month, but it depends on the concerns I feel at that moment.” For Emma, ​​each piece is unique, a reflection of her thoughts and feelings: “Every piece I make is an original work that is not necessarily repeated.”

Emma’s challenges and dreams

Emma recognizes that being a Catholic artist in Peru has its challenges, especially in a market that does not yet fully value sacred art. “It is difficult to position works based on faith, but I am optimistic. Important steps are being taken through religious movements and Catholic events,” he says.

Beyond commercialization, his greatest desire is to awaken in people “a genuine curiosity and the desire to unite with the truth,” bringing them closer to God through the beauty of his works. He also hopes to position his art as a reference in both religious and environmental styles.

“At a fair, I presented my religious works and I was able to observe how many people were excited to see sweetly painted oil saints in small formats, something perhaps unusual, which touched them deeply.”

“I also noticed how members of different religious congregations identified with some saints who represented their charismas, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans and Carmelites. All this leads me to reflect that the intention to evangelize through art is really having an effect on people,” he said.

A message for those seeking their purpose

Inspired by the passage from Jeremiah 1:5: “before I formed you in your mother’s womb I knew you; Before you came out of the womb I consecrated you; “I made you a prophet to the nations”; Emma invites others not to postpone the dreams that God has planted in their hearts.

“He knows what you can do and he needs us more than ever in these difficult times. “Do not let too much time pass before beginning what God has sown in their hearts, what He has deposited through his Holy Spirit.”

“There is an immense need to communicate to others the infinite and merciful love of God, and we act as his instrument, called to make it known in various creative, innovative ways, we just have to abandon ourselves to Him, truly practicing faith and believing. That only then will we listen carefully to what he wants from us and show us the way to follow,” he concludes.

You can follow Emma on her Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/emmacristoarte/?hl=es-la