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.
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