Our love will never allow us to forget In faith in God we trust A Prayer to the Guardian Angel Gabriella My good Angel, Thou comest from Heaven; God has sent thee to take of me. Oh, shelter me under thy wings. Lighten my path, direct my steps. Do not leave me, stay quite near me and defend me against the spirit of evil. But above all come to my help in the last struggle of my life. Deliver my soul so that thee it may praise, love and contemplate the goodness of God forever and ever, Amen... Vatican archives My Personal thoughts When I first started this painting I was inspired by the spirit of the picture as a whole. As I began to explore my approach, my way of attack, I began to understand truly what an honor it was to be able to paint something so special. My soul was captivated by this fireman, the detail of a real person of honor, sacrifice, commitment. He destroyed my idea of a hero, he defined heroism in every sense?of the word. If you really look at him, his sacrifice, commitment, dedication and love, have shaped his appearance. He is a ruggedly handsome guy, meaning if you look at his face you can see the scars in and around his eyes, nose, forehead, chin and ear from years of most likely saving people. If you look at his hands you can see the swelling of the fingers, scars from pulling away cement, being committed to find a buried soul, a fallen brother. His jacket has the appearance of him wearing it for decades, possibly handed down from another generation of fireman, the fluorescent stripes are faded to almost of no color, the black has faded to dark gray maybe from the ash from the twin towers, his sweater looks so lived in it fits him like a Childs comfort blanket. ???? All the details of him and the appearance of his person make me believe that as long as there is souls like him in this world, the world is worth living in, not to? just be living in, but also be appreciating, respecting and loving, this world that is afforded by the heroism as such souls as this fireman. I feel blessed to be able paint a soul so beautiful... Devon H.C. Crutcher