Unveiling spotlights a recently completed portrait commission or figurative work from some of the best and most active members of the Portrait Society of America. This month, Kimberly Azzarito, Assistant Director of the Portrait Society, interviewed Mardie Rees about her recently completed sculpture for Saint Anne Hospital of their namesake patron, Saint Anne.

Saint Anne the Storyteller

A Conversation with Sculptor Mardie Rees

By Kimberly Azzarito

This past December, sculptor Mardie Rees unveiled a new commissioned work for Saint Anne Hospital in Burien, Washington—a likeness of their namesake patroness. Saint Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary, was regarded to have the eternal presence of a grandmother full of devotion and wisdom, and is the patroness of unmarried women, housewives, grandmothers, mothers and educators. Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (VMFH), who commissioned the work, were aware that Rees sculpts from live models and proposed that their own Sister Anne (her name a fortuitous coincidence) model for the piece.

“Anne McNamara is one of the Sisters of St. Francis to whom can be attributed the founding of many hospitals in the Puget Sound region,” says Rees. “Now 80 years old, Sister Anne has served the Franciscan Health community for over 46 years and still serves on committees and in soup kitchens, even though she claims to have ‘retired’.” A perfect match for the project, Sister Anne modeled many hours for the maquette and the large six-and-a-half-foot tall statue that was cast in bronze. “She sat patiently in my studio while I carefully sculpted her portrait, hands and feet,” explains Rees. “She is one of the best models I’ve have ever had—my favorite part was drinking tea together while she recounted tales of her childhood in Ireland as I worked. This concept became a fitting theme for the work: Saint Anne the storyteller.”

Mardie Rees, Saint Anne, clay for bronze, 76 x 50 x 40”

With a prominent subject like a saint, Rees needed to study what has come before. She began raking through the history of Saint Anne images, working backwards through her many representations and portraits. “I strive to author a story that doesn’t defy convention but has a uniqueness that participants can connect with,” says Rees. “With Saint Anne I latched onto the idea of what it means to be a grandmother and why, as youth, we are drawn to our eldest matrons. I love visiting my own grandmother (she’s 94!) not only because I enjoy peanut brittle and her warm company, but I could listen to her stories for hours! Once I had the notion to sculpt Saint Anne as a grand storyteller, everything fell into place.”

Rees decided on a seated figure on a rock, perhaps near a stream or gathering place, with an inviting expression as if prepared to speak to a crowd. St. Anne’s right hand clasps an unfurling scroll with a biblical inscription from Numbers 6:24-26, reading: “The Lord Bless You and Keep You; The Lord Make His Face to Shine Upon You…”

Being a lover of antiquity, Rees couldn’t help but look to the masters for inspiration. “After pouring over Michelangelo’s richly dressed prophets of the Sistine Chapel ceiling while researching clothing, I decided to embellish Saint Anne’s outfit by including an ornate brooch,” says Rees. She sculpted a miniature copy of his round high relief Pitti Tondo to sit on her chest. “I spent untold hours working the drapery and frequently ripped off days-worth of work to redesign areas that conflicted or bothered me because they didn’t feel right,” Rees continues. “Because the piece is of such a scale, this would discourage me. Then I’d remember that every artist lives the same struggle—working the small parts to achieve the whole is an often difficult but necessary challenge. The sculpture of Saint Anne was truly a work of love. I felt drawn to honor our grandmothers and their beauty. For me, the story is all about heart and soul—not perfection.” —