Fabiola Martinez is the artist behind our watercolour painting of Saint John that we’ve posted on our blog and that we use on our business cards. The painting was a gift from one of our mutual friends for my birthday. It was this same friend who urged me to get to know Fabiola. The first time I met her was at her home in Quispamsis. At the time I was very pregnant with my son. We had a wonderful time chatting in the living room while her 2 boys (2 and 4 at the time) played and drew nearby. We talked about her moves from Mexico to Canada and more recently from St. James Street in the South End of Saint John to the Suburbs. We talked about raising kids and of course her bright paintings. When it was time for me to go, her four year old presented me with a pencil portrait he had drawn of me clearly displaying the baby in my tummy. Five years later, his picture still hangs on my son’s bedroom wall.
Fortunately for me, there have been many other conversations since our first meeting. As I have gotten to know Fabi and her family, I have begun to realize how rare they are. They all have a gift of hospitality and openness that makes you relaxed and comfortable no matter what is whirling around in your daily life. And what is striking about Fabiola is her passion and her heart. She has such a desire to make things better, to help the world in whatever way she can. Her art is a big part of that.
DSC_0177 The Youth’s original sketches
DSC_0106.JPG The finished product.
Fabiola has gifted her art to many different causes and to many individuals (including me). When the kids in one of my youth groups wanted to paint a mural in the church, she helped turn their rough sketches and designs into a coherent piece of art. When a private school put on a singer songwriter concert to fundraise for Safe Harbour (a youth transitional home), Fabiola designed the poster and donated art to auction off. And when I received her watercolour of Saint John for my birthday, I knew it represented the dream of this city one day standing in light and clarity. Thanks to Fabiola’s gracious heart, we have been using this painting as a representation of what our ministry is all about.
Thank you Fabi!
By jasmine Chandra
To find out more about Fabiola Martinez please visit her Website at: http://www.fahrfineart.com
Or Check out Created Here’s Article on her by Marie-Hélène Morell: http://www.createdhere.ca/listings/fabiola-martinez-visual-artist/