Angel Fire - Element Angel - Steve Argyle

Fires of this Heaven, and Fairies of the Goddess, what is it that you Halo, when this Angel - flew upon this Scene?

To the Heat of this Day, in the Rise of the Solar - with the tail of a Feather, sung Angel Fire. To the Cool of this Night, in the Curves of the Lunar - with the flick of a Flame, danced Element Angel. To the Forge of this Land, in the Feats of the Warrior - with the touch of a Smith, scribed Element Fire. I like the fact that this artwork, is something of a contradiction ... When I first look at this Angel, do I think of the Whites of the Cloud (as in her Armour), and the Rivers of the Mountain (as in her Flowing Hair). And yet, when I look at this Angel's Wings, and this Angel's Sword - do I find myself thinking, of the Foundries of the Earth, and the Rivers of the Lava. As such, it can be seen that there's a deliberate contrast in themes, that exists within this artwork. Why has Steve done this? Well ... It is a simple reason, that is better explained - through the observance of further contrast ... I think of an Angel of Good. I think of the Flight of the Phoenix. I think of an Angel so Right. I think of the Depths of the Lava. I think of an Artist's Colour Wheel/Palette in Oppose. I think of an Area that's so often called Grey. I speak of course, of an Artist and his Riddle! Which in this case, do I find to be: is this Angel aligned with the Dark? (aka is she of the Evil?), or is she aligned with the Light? (aka is she of the Good?). For me, it's hard to say! She may be of the Light, but that darker area around her Eyes, casts some doubt on this. She may be of the Pure/Righteous, but that darker area at the start of her Wings (either side of her head), casts some doubt on this. She may be of the Loyal, but that darker area on the background's right hand side, casts some doubt on this. Indeed, do I find that this Riddle - becomes a perplexing one! And it is the pondering of this Riddle, that helps fuel your Engagement to this Angel :) In doing so, does Steve bring clarity to his artwork - through the use of three specific techniques. First: is his use of detail. Within the Realms of Art, is it common for detail, just to be hinted at - by the suggestion of a shape, and/or a lighter/darker tone of shading. Yet here, do I find an exception, for this Angel's Armour, becomes involved in the intricacies - there is a uniform pattern, that follows the curves of this Angel's body (a challenge in itself!). Second: is Steve's use of scale. This is most detectable, upon the Fires on the bottom right, and upon the extremes of this Angel's Wings. For as we head towards the extreme/outer edges of this artwork, do such details become larger - but without sacrificing clarity. I feel that this has been done, to bring balance to the artwork. If everything was on the same scale, then it would be easy to overwhelm the Angel. Third: is this Angel's dynamic pose. It's as though this Angel has just flown up, to block your way! The stance of her Shield, angle of her Sword, and bend in her foremost leg (at the knee) - both suggest, and further refine this idea :) Which in-turn, adds depth to this Artist's Riddle - as we start to wonder, could we be dealing with a Guardian Angel here? Overall: A stunning piece of artwork, that speaks both of Angel, and of Fairy! The Angel is the Guardian. The Fairy is the Glamour. The Angel is the Fire. The Fairy is the Riddle. And as such, I love the fact that this Angel - is entwined with both Heaven and Earth. She can fly as high as the Clouds, reminiscent of Rain. She can burn as bright as the Sun, reminiscent of Lunar. To this Angel's Heart, with Phoenix Wing, a Guardian's Halo - this Angel and her Fire!