Marion resident Catherine Maxey’s hand dyed scarves and quilts feature the unlikely pairing of Hindu goddesses and Catholicism.

Maxey, who spent two years in India with her husband and daughters, said the concept was forming in her mind before they relocated.

Maxey said she always loved the idea of Mary but felt like Western culture often downplayed women in religion.

“I was already exploring goddess images before we left for India,” said Maxey. “I have a sense of trying to find the goddess as I return to my childhood religion of Catholicism.”

Even though women are often treated poorly in India, Maxey said, “They have these amazing goddesses that can kick butt.”

The family returned to Marion in 2009, and earlier this year Maxey made the jump to become a full-time artist.

Maxey, a nurse by trade, has long wanted to focus more on her art. She has been drawing and painting since childhood and also picked up bookmaking and sculpture along the way.

To dye each image, Maxey researches goddess images and then begins sketching.

“I’m trying, in my own Western way, to meditate, get a sense of what the image is trying to do. I’m slowly growing along that line,” she said.

Her basement studio has to be a minimum of 70 degrees and humid for the dyes to properly adhere to the silk and cotton fabrics. Once the conditions are right, she begins painting, often in bright reds, yellows, blues and purples, to bring her goddesses to life.

“About 80 percent of the time it ends up nice. I like the process,” she said.

After washing them, the scarves are finished, but Maxey matches the cotton pieces with calico fabric to create bright quilts with hand-stitched details.

She is also working on a book about her experiences in India, maintaining a blog and selling her work online.

“I’m still trying to find my niche,” she said. “I am learning the fear of the blank page. I just start drawing and then erasing, and it finally comes to be.”

While she has taken a step back from nursing and volunteering, Maxey wants to create pieces that can still impart a sense of comfort.

“I want to create stuff that helps people create their own spiritual space,” she said.