1000 Words is a podcast that paints a picture about the creative process. This is a lens to focus on the unique perspective of a specific artist. Hopefully drawing insight into inspiration as we brush up on how imagination provides a groundwork for artistic exploration. We continue that journey today with Angie Thieszen! Angie Thieszen hails from Defiance, Ohio, but now lives in Millersburg, Indiana. Thieszen has come from a family line of artistic talents in various professional and hobby art careers. She studied art at Bluffton College (now Bluffton University) in Bluffton, Ohio. Most of her past work has been as a hobby artist working with mediums such as watercolor, acrylic, chalk, and Etch-A-Sketch, but her wood stain art has taken her to a professional level. In 2021 she opened her first public studio and shop inside the beautiful Southgate shopping marketplace (27751 CR 26, Elkhart, Indiana). When she is not working on art, Angie values spending most of her time living life to the fullest with her husband and their four children. She enjoys being in nature, having deep conversations, loving on animals, and encouraging others. She is frequently motivated by the words of Wonder Woman, “You are stronger than you believe. You have greater powers than you know.” The most valuable part of her life comes from knowing that Jesus Christ is the source of that strength and power in her life. For Angie Thieszen, there is a breath of life found in details and contrast. Although this world is beautiful as a whole, the busyness of life has caused some of the most beautiful details to be lost to us. The ripples in the pouring of your favorite drink, the delicate edges of flower petals, the soft curves of the human body, the reflection of light and life in the eyes of a favorite animal, and so much more. These overlooked details have the ability to stir emotions, evoke memories or even elicit change if given the chance. Angie finds joy in capturing the life of these details and giving them the audience they deserve. Angie's eye is most often drawn to the contrast between light and dark, shadows and highlights, depth and reflection. These elements are brought out in uniquely dynamic ways by using wood stain as her medium instead of traditional paints. Once Angie has a photo to work from, she often reduces that image even further until the detail she sees is uniquely highlighted. She hand-draws that image onto a smooth unfinished wood surface and uses q-tips and cloths on her fingertips to paint the images directly into the wood with wood stain. Layers of Polycrylic are then added to seal in and protect the piece for lasting durability. The process of making wood stain art is a challenge full of intuition, patience, experience and the willingness to learn from mistakes. Although she experimented on everything from rolling pins to furniture, old kitchen cabinet doors to indoor full sized-doors, she now primarily works on Poplar Veneered MDF board for her wall hangings. Each species of wood handles stain differently and Angie has found she appreciates the contrast and workability of poplar wood the most. She changed from boards of solid poplar to poplar veneered MDF board to avoid some of the warping and cracking of her larger pieces. These changes have brought not only longevity to her pieces but also much added value.
