“So, you went to the Louvre today,
What did you see?
After the first artist, only the copyist.”
“On The Loose:” By Jerry and Renny Russell
Iterating the Russell brothers, no human will ever attain the creative perfection of his/her Creator. However, perhaps the creative fire that burns deeply within gifted people is evidence that they have been called by God to be His messengers. This seems to be a common quality of all great artists, poets, musicians, sages, scientists and of course, theologians. This is especially true for Naturalists who explore the “Nature of God vs. the God of Nature.”
It is rare for a person to transform his/her name (a noun) into a verb (an action) but in the case of Angelina Octavia, that is exactly what she has done. Her name means “angel” in Italian and derives from Angelus; Latin meaning God’s Messenger or the Greek, Angelica, heavenly messenger.
She has many artistic talents, but one of her specialties is painting birds. She has joined the pantheon of great ornithological painters such as Audubon, Peterson, Sibley, Fix/Bezener.
Photo credit: Angelina Octavia
Her paintings not only keenly reflect Nature, they often depict subtle nuances like feathers in a breeze or heads cocked in inquisitive ways. I propose that 99.99% of all the people who have ever lived could not do what she does. Alfred Wallace was aware of this phenomenon when he exposed the flaws in Darwin’s Theory of evolution by pointing out that artistic, mathematic and musical talents are not hereditary and therefore must be gifts from God.
Photo credit: Angelina Octavia
My introduction to Angelina occurred when my wife’s brother commissioned her to paint an 8”X 10” version of my wife’s favorite bird, the Common Raven. However, there is nothing common about the raven that now hangs on the wall of our art gallery, with his head cocked, a perfect symbol of wisdom and curiosity.
The second example involves my favorite bird, the Great Horned Owl. We have a mated pair of them living on the mountain near our home. Every evening they share their love with each other with his basso “Hoo-hoo hoooo—hoo-hoo” followed by her soprano, “Hoo-hoo hoooo—hoo-hoo.”
Photo credit: Angelina Octavia
My wife commissioned Angelina to paint an 8”X 10” version of the magnificent bird. When the painting arrived, we were both deeply moved. As in many great paintings, the eyes of the subject can be windows to the soul of the artist. This is the case with our great bird as he appears to come to life with eyes that are watching us.
Angelina’s paintings and greeting cards have become artistic treasures of nature lovers, especially those interested in the wonder and mystery of birds.
Photo credit: Angelina Octavia
Her works evoke the ancient psalmist:
“Come and see the wonders of God; his acts for humanity are awe-inspiring.”
She has a growing repertoire of paintings and note cards available and can paint birds on demand.
https://angelinaoctaviaart.com/shop
Brava Angelina!