Artist Leigh Cortez painting the mural at St. Mary's Catholic Church. Courtesy of "St. Mary Parish, Bunnell FL"'s Facebook page
Artist Leigh Cortez painting the mural at St. Mary's Catholic Church. Courtesy of "St. Mary Parish, Bunnell FL"'s Facebook page
The St. Mary mural by Leigh Cortez. Courtesy of "St. Mary Parish, Bunnell FL"'s Facebook page
The St. Mary mural by Leigh Cortez. Photo by Abbie Pace
Father Rafal Mazurowski of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Bunnell had an idea. He wanted a detailed mural of their namesake at the church.
St. Mary's parishioner and artist Leigh Cortez recently made that vision come to life. The mural of Mother Mary took Cortez a total of nine days to complete, and she utilized acrylic paint. It now lies above the fellowship hall doors. While she is not new to the art game, having a master degree in fine art, this mural was a new venture.
"I enjoyed this, because it was my first one on scaffolding that high up, so that was kind of fun," Cortez said.
Cortez left Rafal detailed updates following each painting session. He would then post Cortez's updates along with photos onto the St. Mary Catholic Church Facebook page.
Cortez also brought a picture of Mary's face with her whenever she painted the mural to make sure her depiction was accurate.
The mural was completed in July; Cortez said the heat was a challenge she faced during the nine days of painting.
"I usually showed up at the hottest part of the day, and then I said a prayer," Cortez joked.
Cortez said she was shocked when the praises from fellow parishioners and community members came rolling in. Some people would show up during times Cortez was painting to offer support and words of encouragement.
"I was absolutely humbled by the response," Cortez said.
Prior to becoming a part of St. Mary's, she and her husband served in the U.S military and moved every three years. After leaving, the couple decided to move to Florida, Cortez's home state.
"And as soon as we pulled into St. Mary's, it's almost like you feel an aura, that you feel that closeness and that community, and that's what attracted us right away," Cortez said.
Cortez has some of her art on display at "The Gallery at Tic Toc," a contemporary art gallery in Daytona Beach. She said Rafal has visited the gallery to view some pieces of her artwork, and even purchased one of her works at an event.
Cortez said Rafal "is definitely a patron of the arts — he absolutely reveres art."
In the future, Cortez said she is open to doing more murals for St. Mary's, and hopes there are more opportunities to do so.
"It was exactly the painting that I needed to do, it just completely ignited the fact I should be painting," Cortez said.
On Saturdays, St. Mary's holds a 4 p.m. mass. On Sundays, mass is held at 8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. A Polish mass is held at 11 a.m. Sundays; the founders of St. Mary's, back in 1914, were Polish settlers.
On every first Sunday of the month, following the 9:30 a.m. mass, a breakfast is held for parishioners in the fellowship hall. September's breakfast will be moved to Sept. 13, due to the beacon's visitation to the parish. The church is located at 89 St. Mary's Place in Bunnell.
To contact Cortez, email [email protected].
