Angel Warriors, by Simon LJ Baxter (Baxy71Art)

Creating art is a deeply personal and meaningful experience. Each painting holds a story, a piece of the artist’s heart and soul. Here’s why I felt compelled to create this particular painting.  In this blog post, I’ll take you through the steps of how I created my latest painting, from inspiration to the final masterpiece.

I wanted to capture and express  the emotions and feelings I was going through at dark time in my life.   During that period, it felt like a never-ending storm cloud had settled over my life. The days blurred together in a haze of numbness and despair. Every morning, I struggled to find the strength to get out of bed, feeling as though a heavy fog had wrapped itself around my mind.  I cannot pin point the exact moment or event that started these emotions.  Was it an inevitable tower moment that had to come from months or years of suppressed emotions?   This event shattered my sense of security and plunged me into a darkness I had never known. I was consumed by feelings of hopelessness and isolation.

But amidst the darkness, I discovered small glimmers of light. Kind words from a friend, a moment of calm during a walk in nature, or the simple act of journaling my thoughts. These tiny sparks began to guide me back towards a sense of normalcy.

Every painting begins with a spark of inspiration. For this piece, I drew inspiration from a poem I received from a friend, who helped me through a dark time in my life. The colors, shapes, and emotions that this inspiration evoked became the foundation of my artwork.

As an artist, I am always looking to grow and experiment with new techniques. In this painting, I wanted to explore the technique of creating a 3D type image, where Angels, in the form of warriors, were breaking through a black canvas in the form of bricks. 3D images intrigued me as it felt as if the object in the image was in the room with you.  This is what I was seeking from this painting; Angels breaking into your room/environment. The process was both challenging and rewarding, allowing me to expand my artistic skills.

With a clear vision in mind, I started planning the composition. I sketched out the basic layout on my canvas, paying close attention to perspective and focal points In addition, I wanted the brick wall to bounded by a thick silver wire rope, that they cut through with their weapons.  I want them to brandishing medieval time weapons, that had crosses embossed on them to protect them from breaking. I want them to be dressed like the character out of Assassins Creed or monks. This initial sketch served as a roadmap for the painting process.

Next, I selected a colour palette that would convey the mood and atmosphere I wanted to create. I chose a variety of blue colours for the warrior’s cloaks. Dark blue represented my sadness and need for emotional healing. Turquoise blue represented protection, luck and abundance and this colour took centre stage in the painting as it representing warding off negative energies and bring good fortune. The darker, rich blue purple represented power and strength to help overcome any obstacles. The white represented the light breaking through into the darkness and purity.

Creating this painting was a rewarding experience. It allowed me to explore my creativity and express my emotions in a visual form.  Every piece of art carries a message. With this painting, I hoped to communicate the message that you are not alone in your battles. I believe art has the power to provoke thought and emotion, and I aimed to achieve that with this piece.