Sunday on the Church Steps

Based on a photograph taken in Chiapas by the artist, this painting captures a fleeting moment of stillness before history shifted. Three Indigenous women sit quietly on the sun-warmed steps of a colonial church — their blue garments glowing against the pale, timeworn plaster. Their postures are relaxed yet dignified, embodying a rhythm of waiting, resting, belonging.

Unbeknownst to them — and to Wallis — the church behind them would later be set ablaze during the Zapatista uprising of the early 1990s. What was once a backdrop of daily life became one of resistance and transformation.

The artist paints not just a scene, but a memory suspended between peace and upheaval. The muted tones and softened brushwork give the image a dreamlike quality, as though viewed through the veil of recollection. It is a portrait of resilience — of women, of community, of places that hold both faith and fire.

Oil on board

Artist: Billie Sue Wallis

Dimensions: 17.25″W x 14.25″H x .75″D

Frame Material: Wood