Angela presenting many of her beautifully crafted creations.
Linda Whitehead
Our featured artist this month, Angela Stokes, grew up in a big fun-loving, food-loving Italian family. She has loved art and creating anything she could since early childhood when her favorite toys were a box of crayons, watercolors, and a Little Red Remco Spinning Wheel.
These days Angela works with lots of different types of papers, paints, brushes, inks, stamps, and cutting tools while creating inside her in-home Art Studio. Angela’s art-enthusiast husband, Russ, designed and built the studio for her. She is passionate about “getting lost” in creating and “making a mess” on her way to crafting a beautiful finished product. Angela’s creations are unique and lovely. Her greeting cards mainly evolve through painting, stamping, and paper crafting. Angela’s hand-painted, mixed-media, miniature art pieces sparkle and many are matted and framed. Angela says her art works are “small displays of gigantic, creative ideas” which she brings to life on paper and canvas. She is a member of the SaddleBrooke Paper Crafters Club and mentors new members there.
Angela and her husband Russ met in California where both were doing community volunteer work. She was an investigator with a focus in risk management. Angela really enjoys travel and has a special love for our National Parks, finding the beauty of the USA unsurpassed. She has also traveled in Mexico, the Caribbean, the South Pacific, and other locations abroad. The Stokes left California and came to SaddleBrooke 17 years ago, having chosen it for its scenery and unique Southwest setting. They both enjoy nature and have achieved their goal of doing the things they love and making friends along the way.
While participating in the SaddleBrooke Craft Fairs, Angela received an overwhelming number of requests from her customers there to make her art available to share year-round, so she joined the SaddleBrooke Gift Shop in 2019. She tells us that she has truly enjoyed being a part of this creative group of artisans and meeting the wonderful customers who shop and enjoy the creative works offered by all the local artisans in the shop.
Angela believes that whatever your passion is you should do it with your whole heart. She advises, “have fun, be creative, and involve yourself in art whether as an artisan or as someone who appreciates the art of others.” We invite you to visit the SaddleBrooke Gift Shop and see for yourself how Angela’s artwork displays this wisdom.
The Gift Shop is located in SaddleBrooke One near the clubhouse and next door to the fitness center. In addition to Angela’s creations you will find many other special gifts: clothing, fabrics, wood, books, jewelry, artwork, games, and greeting cards. Please stop by and browse our wares and visit with your resident artisans. The Gift Shop is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.