On May 4, the Diocese of Fargo spotted a photo on Facebook showing 17-year old Maria Loh from Fargo drawing a chalk image of Our Lady of Lourdes outside her home.
When the diocese posted the photo on Facebook, it reached over 675,000 people, catching the attention of Catholic News Agency, Epic Pew, and other Catholic news outlets.
“I never imagined how far it would go,” Loh said. “I enjoy working in quiet and solitude, and sudden publicity isn’t exactly what I would’ve wanted or expected. However, working in a public area for the first time has shown me many things. I've found a way to share my faith through art. I never would’ve chosen it myself, but God in his brilliant plan used my hands and talents to hopefully bring others to him, and I’m awed at the results.”
She says that part of being an artist is revealing what you value in your work. As she worked on her most recent piece, Our Lady of Lourdes, passerby asked her who the lady was, giving Loh an opportunity to share her devotion to Mary, not only as the Mother of the Church, but also as her mother.
“Mary’s figure is an image many artists have tried to capture throughout history,” she said. “Of all people, she is the most worthy of being depicted. The purity of Mary is cause enough for admiration, but in her great humility, she accepted the will of God and became the Mother of our Lord. No one is as close to God as she is, and when I depict her, I hope she will bring others closer to God too.”
Some of the most common questions she gets are: what do you do when it rains, and why do you work in such a temporary medium? She says that while seeing her art wash away isn’t always enjoyable, it allows her to be detached knowing it isn’t permanent.
“As an artist, I think it’s natural to aim for excellence in your chosen craft or medium. I’ve found myself wasting hours upon hours trying to get a face right or correcting a fold of fabric, but no matter how much time I spend working, there will always be something else I’m dissatisfied with. The temporary element of the chalk reminds me that eventually it will rain, and when it does, the imperfections will be washed away with it. That’s part of the reason why I love chalk so much and why I’m comfortable working with it. In the four years I’ve spent working on the sidewalk, I’ve learned many things, one of them being that my mistakes aren’t set in stone; they’re just briefly set upon it.”
Her most recent work was completed just as North Dakota was beginning to reopen after the COVID-19 shutdown. During the shutdown, Loh took more time for self-reflection and prayer, recognizing that she never knew how much she’d miss the Eucharist when Mass was temporarily suspended.
“My greatest comfort in those moments was remembering that God will never abandon his Church, and that even the most difficult and confusing situations are under his will. I want to encourage everyone, young and old, to continue making the world a brighter place. We all know too well how dark and foreboding theses times have been. But despite this, each one of us has the potential to illuminate our lives like beacons if we allow God to work through us.”
Maria Loh has since created a Facebook page to showcase her art called Art by Maria Loh.