About
Behind the Canvas
Magda Thornton - Formerly Magda Bowen
I was born on July of 1961 in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico and became interested in art at a very early age. I would spend long hours drawing on whatever kind of paper I came across. Paper napkins and butcher paper from the market were my best finds in the trash bin.
My entire family immigrated to El Paso, Texas when I was 15 years old. It was a challenging time for a teen. A new culture and new language hit me on the head like a ton of bricks. My younger siblings took on the English language in no time, but I struggled.
In school, I was an extremely shy, scrawny acne-faced girl. Although my report cards showed good marks, I struggled through high school emotionally.
After earning a degree in advertising art in 1990, I picked up a paint brush for the first time. While helping my in-laws clean their back yard, I found a medium size wood panel. For some reason I had the urge to paint. I chose the most forgiving medium, acrylics. The wood panel had a half inch layer of paint after many practicing sessions. It was then that I invested in a few canvas panels.
As a self-taught painter, I feel free to break the rules of traditional teachings and proper techniques. You could say I am sort of a rebel. My choice of vivid colors and dramatic images reflect my Mexican heritage.
As some artists, I feel my pieces are never finished. I am seldom satisfied with my completed work. I see flaws in my art. I share “my work in progress” as is, with all its imperfections.
My Childhood Memories of Dia de los Muertos
*Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead is celebrated in Mexico on November 1 and 2nd. Some of the traditional foods are tamales, bread (pan de muerto), and champurrado (a thick base concoction made with corn, cinnamon and molasses served hot). It is a customary to visit the cemetery and pay respects to our loved ones who have passed away.
I recall my mother and I joining in the celebration when I was a child.
Crowds filled cemeteries. Vendors lined nearby streets selling food, flowers, sugar skulls and other trinkets with skeleton figures. People gathered around gravesites singing folk songs and praying. After our visit, I felt my beloved departed closer to my heart.
*Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday celebrated on November 1st and 2nd, honoring deceased loved ones with family gatherings, visits to cemeteries, and the creation of ofrendas (altars) filled with food and items enjoyed by the deceased.
Origins: The holiday has roots in pre-Columbian Mesoamerican traditions, with the Aztecs and other indigenous cultures believing in a realm of the dead honoring their ancestor.
Enjoying retirement since May 2023.
Artists Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Vincent Van Gogh, Fernando Botero and Paul Gauguin influence my work. My art is published in “Chicano Art For Our Millennium” 2004 and “Triumph Of Our Communities” 2005 Bilingual Press. Also featured in New Mexico Magazine November 2009 issue.