Two Artists, One Heart: A Mother-Daughter Journey from the Andes to the Canvas; A Mayra and Florence Decurgez Journey

There's a particular quality of light at the foot of the Andes mountains in Mendoza, Argentina—something about the way the sun catches the peaks and spills across the valleys below. It's the kind of light that stays with you, that shapes how you see the world, even when you've traveled thousands of miles away. For Mayra Magis and her daughter Florence Decurgez, that light was their first teacher.

Both artists were born and raised in Mendoza, where art wasn't just something they did—it was woven into the fabric of their daily lives. But like so many families seeking new possibilities, Mayra made the brave decision to bring her family to the United States, carrying with her not just their belongings, but dreams of what they might become.

Art by Mayra Magis

New Roots in Unfamiliar Soil

The Magis-Decurgez family's American story began in upstate New York, where everything felt different—the landscape, the language, the rhythm of life. Yet it was here that both artists' paths took shape in unexpected ways. While Florence was beginning her career as an artist, finding her voice and her vision, Mayra was pursuing her Master's degree in Fine Arts. Florence watched her mother balance motherhood with her studies, never compromising on either, always pushing forward with that quiet determination that would become her signature.

Those years in New York taught Mayra and Florence that art could be both passion and pragmatism. When they eventually moved to California, they channeled that lesson into something tangible: their Atelier de Couture. Mayra designed an entire line of clothing and created custom pieces for weddings and mothers of the bride. She approached fashion the way she approached painting—understanding that fabric, color, and line could seduce the eye and tell a story. Every dress Mayra created was a wearable work of art, each one carrying her painter's sensibility into the realm of couture.

Two Voices, Different Languages

While mother and daughter share a creative bloodline, Mayra and Florence's artistic languages diverged in beautiful ways. Mayra has always been drawn to the human figure and portraits, capturing the essence of her subjects primarily through watercolor. There's something about the way she works with water and pigment—the transparency, the spontaneity, the delicate control required—that mirrors her approach to life itself. Mayra is an expert watercolorist, though she moves fluidly between acrylic, pastels, and more recently, colored pencils, adapting her tools to serve her vision rather than being confined by them.

Florence's work takes a different path. She's drawn to abstraction and symbolism, finding her expression through acrylics on canvas or wood. Florence's inspirations come from memories and experiences—fragments of the past that surface in unexpected ways. She loves incorporating mixed media into her pieces: paper, pages torn from books, magazine clippings, found objects that carry their own histories. While the human figure appears in Florence's work, it's often as a secondary character or symbol, a ghost moving through landscapes of color and texture.

Inherited Dreams: An Exhibition of Connection

When Florence decided to exhibit their work side by side in "Inherited Dreams," she chose that title deliberately. It wasn't just about showcasing two artists who happen to be related—it was about revealing the invisible threads that connect Mayra and Florence, the dreams passed from one generation to the next, transformed but never lost. It's about the dialogue between realism and abstraction, between the figure and the symbol, between the lessons a mother teaches and the directions a daughter takes.

Mayra has always been Florence's inspiration, and not just artistically. She embodies qualities Florence aspires to every day: strength that doesn't announce itself, gratitude that flows even through difficulty, and a sense of humor that can transform the heaviest moments. Watching Mayra navigate life's challenges while never abandoning her art taught Florence that creativity isn't a luxury—it's a lifeline.

The Gift of Every Day

Today, at 82, Mayra faces a new challenge: memory loss. Yet even as some memories fade, she paints every single day. Mayra's hands still know what her mind might forget. She sits before her easel with the same dedication she's always had, and remarkably, Mayra considers herself lucky. She thanks the Universe for all it has given her, starting with family.

There's something profoundly moving about watching Mayra create now. Each painting is an act of presence, a way of staying tethered to the moment when memory itself becomes unreliable. For Mayra, art has become both her anchor and her freedom.

A Legacy Worth Sharing

This exhibition is Florence's way of honoring her mother—not just Mayra's work, but her journey, her resilience, her unwavering belief in beauty despite everything. Florence wants people to understand where she comes from, to see the roots that nourished her own creativity. When visitors walk through "Inherited Dreams," they're not just seeing paintings by Mayra Magis and Florence Decurgez; they're witnessing a conversation that has spanned decades and continents, from the Andes to upstate New York to California.

They're seeing a mother who chose courage over comfort, who pursued her dreams while nurturing her daughter's, who turned fabric into poetry and watercolor into windows of the soul. And perhaps they're seeing a daughter who learned that the greatest tribute we can offer those we love is to honor their legacy by living fully into our own.

Join Us for Our Closing Reception

"Inherited Dreams" closes this Saturday, October 4th, and Mayra and Florence would be honored if you could join them for a closing reception from 5 to 9 PM. Come celebrate this journey with them, share in the stories behind the work, and witness the beautiful legacy that connects two generations of artists. It's a chance to meet both Mayra Magis and Florence Decurgez, to see how dreams travel across time and transform, and to be part of this moment of gratitude and celebration.

Mayra taught Florence that art isn't about perfection—it's about truth. It's about showing up at the canvas, day after day, even when your hands shake or your memory falters. It's about gratitude for the gift of creating, and the greater gift of sharing that creation with the world.

This is the story of Mayra Magis and Florence Decurgez, painted in two voices but sung as one song. This is where Florence comes from, and where she's still going. And both artists are so grateful you're here to witness it.