Thursday, July 15, 2010

An Art Nouveau Angel

I should have cleaned out my files a long time ago. I found another buried treasure I had forgotten about.
This is one of the angels I painted for the tree in the Texas Governor's mansion in about 2001 or 2002 (I don't remember exactly). I love Tiffany stained glass, so put a motif from a lampshade on the skirt on this one.
As I remember, I intended for her to be holding a swag of gold chain to be stitched on with chain stitches in metallic gold AFTER the thing was completed. Instead of a sensor, it was to end with a small gold cross. I don't know if that was done, as I never saw it completed.
Anyway, this one has some potential, I think, and I might even enjoy stitching her - so will probably paint it again, and figure out something to do with the hands.
It's a busy design, so won't take a lot of textured stitches - but certainly can use some sparkling and/or shiny threads, along with some metallic braid for the leading of the glass. (which I will draw more carefully this time.)
Since finding so many of the angel pictures, I've been on a quest for the history of angels, and have found some amazing things. Although there have been winged creatures (messengers) in ancient cultures and faiths, as in the Greek and Roman pantheon - Angels as we know them didn't have wings in art until the Renaissance!
Also - angels were all men. I remember laughing about this with a shop owner back when I was doing this project, and we decided the angels needed to be pretty with nice hair styles, so had to be ladies. After all, we each have been assigned a heavenly guardian - which is our own personal angel.

2 comments:

Rachel said...

If it comes to that, Assyrian and Akkadian angels and cherubs seem to have had lion's or bull's bodies..
Protective spirits have taken many forms through the ages!

Cool City Stitcher said...

I'd love to be sitting on the sidelines, watching you go through your files.. It would be so much fun to see you pulling out long-forgotten treasures!