This is a portrait of a friend of mine, then a Mexico City librarian, Guadalupe Covarrubias. A sweet and humble woman much interested in history and the arts, I chose to portray her in the traditional formal manner of Mexican Virreinal portraiture.

Actually, women were always -with one major expection, that of Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz - depicted in their glittery finery and seated in one of the family's entertaining chambers; while the men were depicted in their studies, surrounded by evidence of their erudition.

I let Guadalupe sneak into such a setting, filling her shelves with books from my collection relevant to her history and interests.

The text at bottom, composed in the florid (not to say pompous) style of the epoch, describes her and the manner in which we met. I loved creating this piece....

Retrato de la Doncella Guadalupe

by J Michael Walker, 1993 Color pencil on paper, 50"high x 38"wide