PORTLAND -- An artist’s rendition of a pregnant virgin Mary is overlooking the community of Old Town in Northwest Portland.

Photo courtesy: Valerie Aschbacher for kgw.com

The 'Mary Full of Life' billboard overlooks Old Town in NW Portland.

The Milwaukie woman who commissioned the photograph of the sculpture titled “Mary Full of Life” said it carries a message that she wanted to share with as many people as possible.

"The intent of 'Mary Full of Life' is to help people to understand that life is sacred from the moment of conception to natural death," Valerie Aschbacher said.

Aschbacher said she felt compelled to do something, after growing frustrated that the culture in Oregon does not match her deeply held beliefs.

First she decided to share a photo of the sculpture and its message on the World Wide Web so as many people from all faiths and all walks of life could see it as possible. So a special Web site was created which displays several photographs of the sculpture as well as Aschbacher's message and prayers.

Then, the idea of a billboard came to her.

"The sculpture was not meant to be political and many who have seen it told me that it has a universal appeal, not just for Catholics," Aschbacher said.

Originally, Aschbacher tried to get access to a billboard at the corner of MLK and Beech Street, on the planned site of a Planned Parenthood Clinic. But then she said that site suddenly became unavailable.

So she drove around town for three hours and came up with the idea of putting Mary in a place where she can look over one of Portland's most struggling communities; Old Town. The area is well-known for its high concentration of drug addicts, alcoholics and homeless people and a billboard advertising beer there was about to come available.

"They [Old Town residents] are God's children, too and he loves them and we should, too," she said.

The billboard located at the intersection of West Burnside Street and NW Third Avenue now shows a photo of the sculpture with the text: 'Mary Full of Life' as well as the address for the new Web site.

Aschbacher's billboard has sparked some controversy as some argue that it also carries a pro-life message and a religious message that not everyone would agree on.

But Aschbacher said it was never meant to be a political statement and she hopes it will touch the lives of others, just as it has hers.