The Angel Series

I just spent this beautiful sunny morning under a garbage bag, with a shower cap, 2 pairs of gloves, face mask and glasses … sweating. This is truly the less fun part of my job, but I believe in protecting my artwork from UV rays, dust, etc, so I use professional archival varnish. It’s just something that needs to be done and the weather was perfect for it.

Just a couple of days ago, someone was saying how nice it was for me to have a job in which I can spend the day playing. So very true! But there’s hard work and health risks to being a professional artist too. For example, in the past month, I’ve learned that sitting crossed-legged on the floor (my favourite painting position) for 12 hours a day several days in a row, just isn’t good for me. Sigh. So I’m correcting that both in the studio and through great care from a couple of very talented health practitioners – Chery Fenk at Embrace Wellness (great therapeutic massage) and Roberta Hammond (acupuncture treatments) at Active-Health Chiropractic. I’ve learned my lesson – it’s great to play, but I need to watch my posture and move around more. I sometimes don’t bring my water down to the studio with me, so that I have to go up when I’m thirsty. I also dance my way to the sink every time I need to wash my brushes. This morning, after getting out of my spray-varnish outfit, I headed down to the river in my back yard, stood in it for 20 minutes, singing to the Heavens, dancing, and visualizing the breeze and water washing everything out of me that doesn’t serve my Highest Good. I took the time to admire the trees and water around me and even did a few yoga stretches, turning downstream as a reminder that everything we want in life is downstream (one of my favourite lessons by Abraham Hicks). Now that’s putting play and wonder back into what had been a toxic task.

So now on to what I really wanted to share. Here are 3 paintings in my Angel Series. I’ll include the first one I already showed you, so that all 3 are together in one post.

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1. “Guardian Angel” – (12″ x 24″) – Acrylics on gallery wrapped canvas
It’s an homage to my and all guardian angels. Their presence has been truly felt in my life, and to them, I am grateful. There are several layers of paint and glazes on this painting, as well as evidence of the Mischtechnik I learned in Vienna (albeit in acrylics instead of oils). Another of my goals while studying overseas was to develop my own style of drawing figures – I am really enjoying continuing that process.

2. “Angel Of Mine” –(12″ x 24″) – Acrylics on gallery wrapped canvas
This one was created with the same stencil I designed for the one above, but facing the other way. I can just envision them in the same room, on each side of someone’s bed. What’s very different to this one is the background – the glass bead pattern that catches the light at certain angles and totally disappears at others.

“Angel of Mine” – 12″ x 24″ – Mixed media on gallery-wrapped canvas: acrylics & glass beads.

3. “Watch Over Me” – (12″ x 24″) – Acrylics on gallery wrapped canvas
This long-haired floating guardian and guide is simply what she is – an angel. With all the washes, glazes and metallics, she looks very different in different lights. I’m so happy to be painting with my 3-D paint again as well as with my abundant collection of professional acrylic colours by Golden Paints. I also use deep edged gallery-wrapped canvas, so they don’t require framing.