Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Genuinely Generous #2 - AngelinaBeadalina

aka “Ang” or “She of the wonderful Sculptures”.
Even a quick look at AngelinaBeadalina's Blog will tell you this is one special lady!

One of the first things I noticed when I first started lampworking, whilst wistfully drooling over the glassy goodness in the LE Galleries, was a very personable lady with a very catchy ‘glass’ name.



What made me notice her? On a visual level it was her rather impressive sculptures & their wonderful descriptive names. But on a more personal level it was quite simply the fact that whenever she posted to the daily S&T Gallery she took the time to comment on everyone else’s submissions.

Her comments were always positive, encouraging & addressed to each individual. Ang seemed to see the essence of what each artist had been trying to attain in their work, you could tell that she had paid attention to each bead shown than & given it more than just a passing glance. No small task on some days I imagine.
She was also extremely encouraging to ‘newbies’ & would happily answer questions. She gave the gift of her time in acknowledging the efforts of others.



Later I bought Ang’s 'Winged Isis' bead off of her via Etsy Store & therein got to know Ang a bit better, rather than just a name on LE. I’d made light of an area in glass that I was having struggling in, & in her response I got an unexpected, but wonderful, list of hints & tips, she told of what had worked for her – along with a generous portion of encouragement.
I started following her blog & realised just how much this lady gives. Not only does she do wonderful things with glass, she’s a great photographer & a fabulous writer as well.




Ang has a voice, an abundance of wisdom & talent, both in glass & in her writing. I’m pretty sure that most would agree if you came across one of Ang’s sculptures anywhere in reality or on the web – you’d recognise it as one of “AngelinaBeadalina’s” immediately. Her sculptures are pared down, devoid of extraneous detail, yet full of movement & emotion, encouraging us to find true essence of a piece. In that – we grow as people.



She happily puts herself out there & encourages all to learn from her musings… whether she knows it or not.
She says she’s got attitude - & I might agree. But it’s not a bad one! An intolerance of injustice & arrogance isn’t a bad thing. Insight, compassion & recognition of others is to be much admired.



Thank you AngelinaBeadalina, for your gracious gift of inspiration & encouragement, & for sharing it so freely.



I absolutely adore the above piece, & think perhaps that it my all time favorite scuplture of Ang's. In fact I was ready to pounce on it - had it been listed anywhere. It wasn't meant to be however. Still there is something to be gained from not getting what you want - through this sculpture I first learned of the Maya Angelou poem "Phenomenal Woman".

8 comments:

rosebud101 said...

How right you are, Ang! How right you are!

Seraphim FlameWorks said...

I would have to agree with you about Angelina and her beautiful sculptures! Stylized, evocative, filled with the essence of life is what comes to mind whenever I view a new work of art from this talented artist. Angelina’s words of encouragement and praise on Lampwork Etc. make her star shine even brighter!

Sang

ShellyD said...

Couldn't agree with you more!!

{{Hugs}}

p.s. missing our chats

Mermaid Glass said...

I have to agree with you on all points, as well. Besides a wonderful talent, there is a wonderful spirit to Angie.

After reading your post, I think it's a case of 'like recocgnizing like'. Deb, you too have a generous nature and loving heart and you've made a wonderful tribute to a friend!

Unknown said...

I met Ang a few years ago at a show in Tuscon... we were right next to each other for a week...
we shared food and laughs and talked about our families and of course glass.......
I was immediately drawn to her gentle nature.... her beautiful sculptures and got to watch her excitement as a couple from a museum came by and found her and her creations...
I was so excited for her, it was so fun to watch as they purchased some of her work to display... and her reaction...she was overwhelmed with emotion.. and I think we cried together.....as I told her she deserved the recognition....

mona & the girls

Unknown said...

hi deb... could you please take a look at my todays post... and share with your friends.. this family needs our help
all our love
mona & the girls

angelinabeadalina said...

Deb already knows she brought tears to my eyes when I saw this. Laurie is right, Deb is so generous and kind!

Thank you again, Deb :)

P.S. Mona has an infectious smile and laugh... I always be grateful to McDuck for getting me that table surrounded by good glass peeps like Mona & Hallynd, Carol S.,and a buncha other sweethearts!

Deborah Lambson said...

What lovely words for a very deserving artist whose spirit I noticed long ago...Ange stands out both as a lovely woman and a creative artist...really a sweet tribute Deb ♥