The Archangel Gabriel is the exalted Messenger of God, whose name means "The Strength of God". Gabriel appeared to many people of different religions as well.

Gabriel appeared to the Prophet Daniel in the interpretation of his dream-visions. In the Christian Bible, it is Gabriel who brings important news to Zachary and the Virgin Mary concerning their children-to-be, and many Christians believe that at the Last Judgement Gabriel will blow a sacred trumpet horn. Gabriel is also, according to Judaism, the voice that told Noah to gather the animals before the great flood. Gabriel may also be the angel that visited Joseph. After learning about Mary's pregnancy, Joseph considered calling off the marriage, but "an angel of the Lord" appeared to Joseph in a dream and told the angel that the conception was caused by the Holy Spirit. Muslims believe Gabriel to have accompanied Muhammad in his ascension to the heavens.

In different texts Gabriel is portrayed as a female spirit; while in others Gabriel has no gender.

This piece carries a theme of things that are old and discarded being made new again. Gabriel’s body is composed of pieces of drift wood from Rockaway Beach in New York… my home. The shoulders are made from a deer skull, given to me as a gift from a kind store owner who couldn’t seem to sell it. I really enjoyed the texture of the skull and how it blended with the grain of the wood. There are smaller pieces of scrap metal and wood used to bring the pieces together, all affixed with screws to a wood panel.

The piece is bordered by architectural details that were salvaged from a fire. Several years ago, a co-worker and friend of mine bought a home, renovated it and watched it burn to the ground during the renovation process. All of the charred and water-stained antique fixtures and wood details ended up on his lawn, where they were gong to be picked up and taken to the junkyard.

What you see along the top and the bottom of this piece are parts of an old door frame, untreated except for a few layers of protective varnish to prevent further deterioration. The gradation in color on the left is the natural movement in coloration as this piece makes its way back from discarded ashen wood to strong new angel.