My paintings are usually portraits, figures or partial portraits. My work is heavily influenced by the tarot cards and the symbolism in them. I use cartoon like drawing and unrealistic colors to create a world oscillating between dreams and reality. My painting is emotional and expressionistic to show the emotion of the person or about the person that I am painting. I use the touch, dripping, and handling of the paint to transmit an emotion or feeling. I want to create an image of a mystical person in a mystical world. I am trying to create their emotion, mood, soul, or aura. I let fantasy and intuition take over the process of painting. I am influenced by Expressionism, Surrealism, the Primitive and childlike drawing of CoBra, Abstract Expressionism, Bay Area Figurative Art, Beat Art, and Symbolism.

This is a painting of a human or part human/ part angel with many things going on around him. The painting is done with layers of spray paint and oil paint. I choose the spray paint for the bright colors. In the two top corners of the painting, are portrait personifications of the Sun and the Wind, blowing air or chaos in the sky. The Sun represents light, and the Wind represents darkness. Both the Sun and the Wind have one side of their face in light and one side of their face in darkness to represent the differing aspects of their personality. There are different color clouds in the sky, and some stars. The boy has a helmet or halo, and two wings. The wings are different colors, to represent different aspects of light and dark in the person. The angel has a shield with a peace sign with the planet earth behind it, and a sword in front of it. There are images of Jupiter and Saturn on the right side of the painting. He has a heart pierced by two arrows on the front of his shirt, representing his heart. His face is partially black and white and partially color. His eyes are dripping blue spray paint to imitate tears, an emotional reaction to the darkness around him. The angel and his wings are supposed to bring the most light to the painting, to show the light of the person in the chaos that surrounds him in the ethers.

This work was created as an illustration for the contest topic, the Spiritual Battle of the Ephesians 6: 10-20, and related verses. It has portrait personifications of the Sun and the Wind, that represent the battle between good and evil. Also, the Sun and the Wind each have a light side and a dark side to their face, representing good vs. evil in each person. The unseen forces, (Wind and Sun), are blowing air and creating chaos in the background, having an impact on the angel/ man or world below. It shows the concept of standing your ground, as the character in the middle is not influenced by the chaos surrounding him. Truth and righteousness are shown in the beautiful colors of the angel and his wings. Peace is reflected as the peace sign in his shield. The armor of God is represented in the shield and in the angel who is bringing light into the darkness.

Katie McGuire

The painting is an original.
"Spiritual Battle," Spray paint and oil paint on canvas, 3'x4'
$3,000.00
Contact: Email: KatieSMcGuire@gmail.com
Www.KatieMcGuireArtwork.weebly.com

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