A Word from Michael Parkes: Sophia Rose is important to me because she was my first attempt to try and make a portrait of an angel. In essence, she began my journey that continues to this day, in exploring what angels represent to us as humans. I wanted to give her individual qualities and capture a specific type of energy. Her name has the key of what type of energy she represents. Sophia relates to Wisdom and Rose represents Love. Although there are parts of the painting that appear unfinished, this was deliberate. I wanted the beauty of her face, which was painted many times until I had the right look, to be juxtaposed to the so called unfinished parts of the painting. This polarity seems to intensify her expression.