Ancient Mystic: 2004


Ancient Mystic

The Meaning

The study of Christian Mysticism and the book of Revelation had inspired me to create “Ancient Mystic.”

The Ancient Mystic

I expressed Christ as an Ancient Mystic looking into the earth and connecting with human souls (represented by roses) who know and have experienced His presence in a real and intimate way. To me, this was outside the constraints and control of organized religion, and it was worth the effort to pursue this illustration despite my lack of experience and skill as a developing artist at the time.

The 24 Elders

On the outside circle, there are the twenty-four elders (Revelation 4:4) around Christ looking on in awe.

The Fallen Angel

Christ is leading His people (shown as roses, above) up and out of the trials and struggles in which they suffer on the earth because of the deception of the devil (shown as a black fallen angel in the fire).

Four Living Creatures

Also, there are four living creatures (Revelation 4:6-8) right above Christ’s head.

Four Angels

There are four angels looking on (representing the four winds), waiting for His command to please Him with any task given to them (Revelation 7:1).

This painting is related to “Mouth of the Lion” because both paintings are based on the twenty-four elders as described in the book of Revelation.

The Process

This was a difficult piece for me to complete at the time. I was still using acrylic paint and was learning how to sketch my ideas of illustrating spiritual concepts before I started blending different colors together. Acrylic paint dried too fast for me and later I found out that oil paint was much better for me to learn how blend.

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