Angie Strader – Artist / Photographer
A tragic, near death experience shapes Angie Strader’s art.
Angie Strader knows what it is like to narrowly escape death. As she and her husband lie sleeping in a hotel room, death began to appear in the form of a silent, odorless gas from the water heater. As the carbon monoxide reached critical mass an early morning alarm set by her husband saved their lives… but not without a price.
Angie’s husband awoke from the alarm, groggy and confused by the deadly gas. Angie was still alive but unresponsive. Her husband managed to call an ambulance, and both were immediately rushed to the hospital. There, Angie and her husband would remain in critical care for several days.
Carbon monoxide poisoning, coupled with the associated hypoxia wreak havoc on the body’s organs, muscles, and brain. Angle’s physical recovery would take over two years and include countless visits to a claustrophobic inducing hyperbaric chamber.
Angie Strader 2.0
One’s personality is a delicate mixture of life experience coupled with biochemical reactions to the cells in our brain. Recovery from a tragedy such as this consists not only of the physical but also of the mental awareness of one’s “self”. Many of the synaptic connections that existed before Angie’s tragedy would not return and Angie would spend the next phase in her life merging the remaining connections with new.
She discovered that the analytical Angie who was the CEO of a successful company began to be replaced with a more artistic, creative Angie. She initially started working with Fluid Acrylics as a form of therapy, but it soon became an expression of her new ‘self’. The flow of the paint is soothing to the mind and spirit. “Looking back, I can see that in my early fluid art there was a clearly defined yet unconsciously created line through each of the art pieces,” says Angie.
Angie now believes that the line was a subconscious representation of her “self” separating the Angie from before the incident from that of the Angie after the incident. “As time goes on, and my ‘self’ became more unified, the divisional line began to disappear.”
Now she describes her flow art as, “Flow Art with Intention”. In her interview with the Trophy Club Journal Angie says, “It’s a bit of a contradiction, which fits me and my personality. As I began to understand the paint and how it generally responds, I began to create pieces with more of an intention than by chance. I lean towards creating pieces that elicit a sense of calm, peace, and serenity. Occasionally, a random piece will evolve that strikes a more bold or striking vibe.”
Angie 2.0 also developed a keen eye for photography. “Up until then, my photography consisted of iPhone shots. I picked up my first “real” camera which gave me an incentive to get out of the house to explore nature. In the beginning, I couldn’t walk further than my front yard.”
In time, Angie was able to walk further so she started exploring beyond her front yard. Angie’s photography style is vibrant and detailed. “I go against the current trend in photography which is to washout the colors and soften the details. My goal is to catch the attention of the viewer through the rich vibrant colors to then get drawn in to get a closer look at the fine details I’ve captured.” From grand landscapes to close up macro shots, Angie’s perspective is fresh, intriguing, and inspiring.
“With both the flow acrylics and photography, the story is about change, growth, peace, joy, surrender, and acceptance. “Flow with intention” is my life. I have learned to go with the flow and while living my life with intention.”
Visit Angie’s website at: https://angiestradercreations.com to see her remarkable expressions or contact her at angie@angiestrader.com to set up a commission piece.
Art & Culture
Artist Shraddha Kataria
Every art piece that I have made has a story to tell and that story has a correlation to my life’s ups and downs.” Artist Shraddha Kataria
Nature, in all its forms, gives inspiration to Shraddha Kataria. Her unique impressionism stems from an observation of the world around us and guides her brush to not just recreate a scene, but to transcribe emotion and feeling in order to tell a complete story.
Even with still life, Shraddha’s brush seems to convey a sense of movement. Perhaps this stems from her frequent relocations as a child growing up in many different locations. Her family moved frequently as her father switched his job from location to location for his work.
“Every art piece that I have made has a story to tell and that story has a correlation to my life’s ups and downs” says Shraddha in an interview with the Trophy Club Journal. “For example, my Buddha painting is the proclamation of the peace in my mind at the time.
Shraddha met Naveen in 1999 at her first job. They got married in 2003 and moved to the US in 2012 with two loving kids.
“Painting is a medium that gives me a sense of serenity to keep my own emotions in check” says Shraddha. “But for others, it will depend on you how you see the story. It can be completely different than how I interpreted it to be, and that is fine.”
We at the TCJ agree. Shraddha’s paintings beckon you to reach into them and touch the objects. Her still life pots, cups & bowels seem to call out for you to pick them up. You feel as though the fruit and vegetables are ripe, ready to be eaten and you want desperately to reach in and grab one. To convey this type of wanting in oil, especially through impressionism, is no easy task. Yet Shraddha has mastered it beautifully.
Visit Shraddha’s Etsy shop at: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ASHKARTZ?ref=shop_sugg
Rachel Robic had a strong artistic side from a very young age but for the past 8 years she has really embraced the calling. Now 34, she feels a deep connection to the arts and has chosen oil on canvas as the medium to convey her spirit.
Rachel has always been inspired by nature and this is the primary focus of her work. She is particularly concerned about the diminishing population of bees. “They are such misunderstood little creatures that have a huge impact on this earth. Without bees, humanity will suffer. This is one of the reasons that I love to paint bees, to draw attention to how important they are to us.”
Rachel Robic – Abstract 
Rachel Robic – Bee 2 
Rachel Robic – Curve ball 
Rachel Robic – Night beats 
Rachel Robic – Realism 
Rachel Robic – Yellow baby 
Rachel Robic – Chasn Trails 
Rachel Robic – Derby Day
Rachel started with small commissioned pieces from family and friends, but one particular piece would become extra special to her.
A Change in Perspective.
One day, Rachel’s friend Melanie requested a special commission for her friend Denise. It had been Denise’s dream to travel to Paris, but in 2005 that dream would be interrupted. Denise was just 22 when she was diagnosed with a rare disease known as Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC). PSC is a chronic disease that destroys the liver.
Melanie & Denise met in a support group for PSC and became quite close. By age 32 Denise would undergo her first of three liver transplants. Melanie recalls that even in the throes of recurrent PSC, Denise would speak of going to Paris – her lifelong dream, which for appearances sake was less and less likely to become her reality.
In an effort to bring Paris to Denise, Melanie purchased a French cookbook, made her potholders, place mats, and an apron with Parisian designs. “Of course, she was grateful but it still couldn’t begin to compare with the sights and sounds of the beautiful city. So one day, I thought maybe if she could see the Eiffel Tower every day she’d be reminded of her dream, and it would give her incentive to press on and attain her heart’s desire” recalls Melanie in an interview with the Trophy Club Journal.
“After viewing a plethora of images online, I found exactly what I’d been looking for. I sent the image to Rachel and asked if she would paint it as a gift for Denise. She not only agreed, she mastered it. The painting turned out beautifully, and Denise was elated!” said Melanie.
Rachel was deeply motivated by her friends request to paint the Eiffel Tower. “It was perhaps the most determined that I have felt while working on a painting” says Rachel about the commission.
Rachel’s artwork ended up on the wall Denise’s dining area, just where Melanie thought it would be best suited. It hung there as a reminder of her dreams, inspiration and incentive to press on. Just as Melanie had hoped, in the summer of 2016 Denise accepted the risk and took a trip to Paris with her 16 year old son. As she stood near the base of the Eiffel Tower she realized, her dream finally became her reality.
On December 1, 2017 Denise passed away while undergoing the third liver transplant – three days before her 45th birthday. “I will forever be grateful to Rachel for helping me to create an environment that not only brought Denise so much joy but encouraged her to live life to the fullest!” says Melanie.
Art, it seems, can have both broad impacts on the world through thoughtful activism as well as narrow impacts on the individual by inspiring the heart to press on and fulfill one’s dreams, even in the midst of struggle and sickness.
With the love of a good friend and with inspiration of Rachel Robic’s art, Denise was able fulfill her dream…and in so doing she inspires us to fulfill ours.
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Rachel’s inspirational work has been on display in many local exhibits including Kamme Art Gallery in Sanger, Central Arts of Bedford, Arlington Arts Association, Artist Enclave of Denton County, Texas Visual Arts Association, TMJ Plus in Grapevine, as well as here in Trophy Club for a day show at Fuller Rhythm. At the time of this publication her art is on display at Central Arts in Hurst. To inquire about commissions, contact Rachel at: oils.easels@gmail.com
Art & Culture
Feature Your Art on The Trophy Club Journal
TCJ is looking for resident artists to showcase their art on the website.
Call for Artist Submissions
The Trophy Club Journal is searching for resident artists to be featured and have their work displayed on the Trophy Club Journal website for all the residents of Trophy Club to enjoy and find inspiration.
Whether you are 8 or 80; a painter or a sculptor; whether you work professionally or produce your works as a hobby; we would like to showcase your work and help you give inspiration to all our citizens. We will provide you with a featured page to tell your story, show your work and engage with fans.
There is no cost to you, and we will do all the work to setup your page. If you desire to sell your work online that is ok and we would be happy to put a link where patrons can contact you.
To get started, simply send an email to: TrophyClubJournal@gmail.com letting us know you are interested.