Best Friend Portrait of Nicholas Santiago by Laura Madeleine

From Mari Marrero, best friend and mother of his daughter: Nicholas life was cut short at the age of 21yrs of age. He moved his children dearly they meant everything to him.

From the artist and curator Laura Madeleine: As I listened to Mari tell her story of growing up with Nicholas it became clear to me that this was a strong an supportive friendship amidst endless challenges and hardships.  I wanted to honor that friendship.  The image is from one of her favorite photos. (The little hands are their daughter’s.) The image is surrounded with symbols of friendship and blessings: Starting at the upper left corner and going clockwise are the crossed arrows of Native American roots, the Adrinkra symbol for the possibility of correcting mistakes, the friendship knot (endless Buddhist knot), folk art symbol of everlasting life, the Alstroemeria flower, Adinkra symbol of the eternal connection between life and death, a generic friendship symbol, ducks representing the spirit of those who have passed on, another generic friendship symbol, symbol for life everlasting, Adinkra friendship symbol, and a symbol representing a desire for peace. 

Best Friend Portrait of Nicholas Santiago by Laura Madeleine batik painting on silk 14” x 19” 2018