Happy Valentine's Day!

Be My Unicorn
Medium: digital art

The Fall of Lucifer

Defeated Foe
Medium: digital painting

Depicting the fall of Lucifer, this painting seeks to portray Lucifer as very real, but that  he is a defeated foe. For all his talk, he's nothing more than a created being completely under God's control. His halo, which was used in traditional Christian artwork to portray purity and innocence, is shattering, and his wings are being burned black. In the background, another angel has already made the choice to be burned and is being chased out of Heaven.

A fair amount of research went into this painting. According to Ezekial 28:14, Lucifer is, or was, a cherub (singular of cherubim, and not to be confused with the secular Putti, nude infants with wings). Fortunately for me, cherubim are one of the few angelic creatures that the Bible actually gives us a description of, however vague and confusing it may be. Ezekial 1:4-28 and Ezekial 10 describe cherubim as having four wings and four faces - human, bull, lion, and eagle (interestingly enough, avian, bovine, human, and feline features appear frequently in pagan religious artwork, leading to the theory that many pagan gods may actually have been fallen cherubim, perhaps Satan himself. Seeing as he wanted to be like God, it stands to reason that he would want people to worship him as a god.) It's not said what their bodies look like, but Ezekial does describe them as having human hands. They are described as having calf's feet, and, while his feet are in shadow, I do paint him with cloven feet. It's speculated that the satyr image of devils originated with the calf foot description. Ezekial also describes them as sometimes being accompanied by concentric wheels which are "full of eyes," and that the spirits of the cherubim are within the wheels (perhaps some sort of angelic external hard drive?), but as it's uncertain if the Ophanum, as they are called, are part of the cherubim or simply another creature that typically accompanies them. In Luke 2:18, Lucifer is described as falling from Heaven "like lightning," which I incorporated as God's judgment taking the form of lightning.

Castiel

Castiel
Medium: digital painting

"I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition." - Castiel, Angel of the LORD

For those who don't know, Castiel is a fictional angel from the television show Supernatural, and arguably the fanbase's favorite character. There's speculation about whether he's based off of the angel Cassiel (Quafsiel, Mocoton, etc.) in extra-Biblical lore, but the show's writers haven't revealed that yet, so it’s most likely that the Castiel character was inspired by Cassiel and other angels, but is not meant to be any particular angel in lore. I made his wings white with rainbow iridescence, because I don’t think of his wings as black, dark gray, or blue (that was just their shadow in season 4). I didn't want to make them just plain white, however, because Revelation and other books of the Bible describe rainbows in Heaven. It's not clear where the rainbows are coming from, but I figured iridescent wings would look fabulous either way! I also took inspiration from Mrs. Whatsit in A Wrinkle in Time. I suspect she was representative of an angel.

“Now, don’t be frightened, loves,” Mrs Whatsit said. Her plump little body began to shimmer, to quiver, to shift. The wild colors of her clothes became muted, whitened. The pudding-bag shape stretched, lengthened, merged. And suddenly before the children was a creature more beautiful than any Meg had even imagined, and the beauty lay in far more than the outward description. Outwardly Mrs Whatsit was surely no longer a Mrs Whatsit. She was a marble white body with powerful flanks, something like a horse but at the same time completely unlike a horse, for from the magnificently modeled back sprang a nobly formed torso, arms, and a head resembling a man’s, but a man with a perfection of dignity and virtue, an exaltation of joy such as Meg had never before seen. No, she thought, it’s not like a Greek centaur. Not in the least.

From the shoulders slowly a pair of wings unfolded, wings made of rainbows, of light upon water, of poetry.

Calvin fell to his knees.

“No,” Mrs Whatsit said, though her voice was not Mrs Whatsit’s voice. “Not to me, Calvin. Never to me. Stand up.”

- A Wrinkle in Time, chapter 5


I wouldn't recommend Supernatural for everyone, certainly not underage people or those trying to figure out what they believe, but it is a fun show when taken as what it's meant to be: fiction. The characters are very interesting and well-written. None of them are 100% good or 100% bad, except maybe some of the monsters, of course. The show definitely has a sense of humor! It knows how to laugh at itself.

I haven't decided what I think of the show's portrayal of angels. Its portrayal of God is, well, how about NO, but with angels, it got some things right and some things wrong. One thing I definitely appreciated is how angels are portrayed as fearsome warriors rather than the fluffy fairies that pop culture depicts them as. 2 Kings 19:35 pretty much lays it out nicely. Angels are beast.



As with all my artwork, I don't mind this being shared on Pintrest, fansites, or other like websites, but if you see this picture anywhere without my signature and website URL in the bottom right-hand corner, then it has been stolen.

Fallen Angel Dragon

Demon Dragon
Medium: digital painting

A subspecies of the Angel Dragon, the Demon Dragon is a spiritual dragon with no specific size. They can cover the sky or sit on your shoulder. They only appear the those they choose. They have never been observed eating, nor have hatchlings of this species ever been seen.

Their ancestry is apparent in that they have retained some of the feathers of their Angel forbears. It's unknown when Demon Dragons separated from Angel Dragons, but their war with their ancestors has played out throughout all of human history. While Angels are more powerful warriors, Demons prefer subtlety and deception rather than a direct fight.

These dragons work through deception and manipulation, whispering lies to their victims to gain their trust. It's uncertain exactly what their agenda is, but it's clear that they hope to disrupt the Angel Dragons' purifying work. Demon Dragons have been known to corrupt entire cities, provoking the Angel Dragons to destroy the cities. In such cases, sometimes blame is placed on the wrong dragon; the Angel is seen as the tyrant and the Demon is seen as the innocent, when in fact both dragons knew that the humans in question had a choice, but chose to follow the Demon Dragon and thus ensured their own demise. Needless to say, Angels and Demons have and probably will be at war with each other until one or both species is stamped out.

Angel Dragon

Angel Dragon
Medium: digital painting

Very little is known about Angel Dragons. One of the few species of spiritual or magical dragons, Angel Dragons are named after the messengers and warriors of God in Jewish and Christian theology. Like all spiritual dragons, they have no specific size. They have the ability to alter their corporeal size at will (they can cover the sky or fit in your pocket), as well as to appear to only those they wish to appear to. There is no evidence that they breed. No eggs or young Angel Dragons have ever been seen. They do not eat, at least not food that physical creatures have the ability to see.

Angel Dragons are both loved and feared. They have a fierce sense of justice and purity. Although known for their patience and benevolence, they are without a doubt the most powerful type of dragon when provoked. They will purge the unclean, and have been known to level entire cities that have become corrupted. They are merciful, however, and will single out the innocent and allow them to live. Their bright blue flames (called Holy Fire) are the hottest known fire in the world. They have the ability to light themselves on fire, but their scales and feathered wings are flame-resistant, thus they burn without burning. This, coupled with their dazzling white scales, can make them nearly impossible to look at when in full glory. Some Angels Dragons have been seen that have as many as three pairs of wings. Angel Dragons are threatened in power only by their arch-enemies, the Demon Dragons.

No Angel Dragon has ever died of old age.

Happy Kitty

Happy
Medium: digital painting

This is a realistic portrait of Happy the flying cat from the anime and manga series Fairy Tail, created by Hiro Mashima.