The painting feels less like a single scene than a shared state of being. The title, “Sombras,” suggests shadows not simply as darkness, but as memory, ancestry, guardianship, and the unseen parts of self. A candle becomes a small act of keeping light alive while a parrot introduces color, voice, and companionship and a feline suggests instinct, vigilance, and the wild intelligence of the natural world. Meanwhile, a central apparition-like figure seems to bridge human presence and spirit presence, as though past, present, and inner life are all visible at once. Four women inhabit a luminous blue-green world of leaves, reeds, mist, and shadow. At left, a young woman with medium-brown skin and long black hair stands frontally in a loose black garment, a small pink clip tucked into her hair and a green necklace around her neck. She holds a lit white candle, and its warm glow brightens her face and fingers. Behind her, a second woman stands close, partly veiled in blue shadow, looking back at us with a steady, watchful gaze. Near the center rises a taller violet-blue figure in profile, almost spectral, with long dark hair and a dramatic black hat sending thin strands outward like reeds or feathers. At right, a seated woman in profile holds out a scarlet-and-green parrot. Below them, amid broad tropical foliage, a spotted wildcat or ocelot peers forward with pale, alert eyes. Artist Marta Gilbert, who was born in Arkansas and made Puerto Vallarta her home for decades, often spoke of her deep connection to Indigenous (Osage and Cherokee) heritage and beauty, describing Native faces and black hair with reverence and declaring, “My soul is Indian.” Late in her life, she continued painting women with calm strength and quiet power. In “Sombras,” tenderness and mystery coexist as these women do not perform for us, but hold their own interior world, luminous even within shadow.

“Sombras” (Shadows) by Marta Gilbert (American) - Acrylic on canvas / 2021 - ARTe VallARTa Museo (Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico) #WomenInArt #WomensArt #WomanArtist #WomenArtists #MartaGilbert #Gilbert #ARTeVallARTaMuseo #SpiritualArt #IndigenousArt #arte #ArtText #BlueskyArt #WomenPaintingWomen