What do I see?
I had a lot of difficulty imagining drawing these angels. Seeing them in the "mind's eye" is one thing, but drawing what I see--that is another. Would they be flying around? Encircling? Standing?
I tried doing a drawing of this once for a dying man, and while it comforted the family, I did not like the drawing. That was years ago, and I had been stymied since then as to how to represent the concept that we are constantly surrounded by angels.
The paradigm places them: Michael on the right, Gavriel on the left, Uriel before us, Raphael behind, and the Holy Presence above. I have experienced them: Michael's support, Gavriel helping me prioritize, Uriel lighting the way forward when I felt I didn't know where I was going, and Raphael closing up wounds, smoothing, healing as time passed. The Holy Presence feels further away than the angels, but again, if I put my intention into it, I can experience The light from above.
Yes, I was stuck. But in the meantime, singing about these angels at the bedside of many an ill or dying person, they became close friends, and I witnessed the healing power the concept had on the families and the persons in need of support. I tried drawing them a few times, but was never satisfied with the result.
If I think of the artistic process through the lens of the "Four Worlds" in Kabbalistic thought, I was now swimming in the world of Briyah, Creation, where a concept is still vague. That is the uppermost pink realm in this painting.The idea needed fermenting in order to descend closer to this tangible world.. Next: "Style as a Choice."
