Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Angela Beloian. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Angela thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

I grew up in Southern California in a family of “makers.” My dad was a self-taught, general contractor who added a second floor to our house after my brother was born. My mom was creative and industrious. She cut my hair and sewed matching floral dresses for herself and me (it was the 70’s.) My grandmothers made the ceramic dishes we used and knitted all of my sweaters. From an early age I learned to examine how things are made and my family instilled the practice and joy of self-sufficiency. Painting came naturally because I am passionate about drawing and color, but the maker in me has always been inspired to work with other media as well. My family’s influences taught me to visualize possibility and then figure out how to make it a reality.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

As an artist, I find beauty in imperfection and look for threads that connect us to our environment and each other. Reflecting on climate change and the ways in which nature adapts, I create paintings inspired by the symbiotic relationship between animals and their environment. Using vegetation from my garden, I paint abstract backgrounds and spend time gazing at the irregular patterns until an image emerges. The imagined wildlife that I “see” have familiar features as well as unusual and often surreal characteristics. Rendering them in silhouette reveals an absence or extinction, or suggests a life form that has yet to evolve.

I have shown my work in museums and galleries throughout the US and have been represented by Walker Fine Art in Denver since 2006 where in 2015 I received the Westword Best of Denver award for my exhibit In Technicolor. My current exhibit at Walker Fine Art examines pollinators. Each small, circular painting is a single portrait, a celebration of a life form that humans are inclined to overlook. The collective of individual portraits tells the larger story of the multiple voices that encompass Life and is on view through March 16, 2024.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

My journey as an artist was deepened in my early 30’s after the birth of our child. I needed to learn how to balance the role of motherhood while nurturing my art practice so I started working with Ellie Blankfort, an artist advisor in Los Angeles. She taught me to see my art as a mirror and to read it in order to raise my self-awareness. She also introduced me to the idea that artmaking doesn’t have to be limited to my studio and that everyday activities can be done with an artistic and creative approach.

It was when I turned 50 and my mother passed away that all of my life experience began to coalesce. I became truly intentional about embodying life as an artist and practiced using art to create beauty out of my pain and loss. I recognized the potential for art as a tool for insight and transformation.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Climate change is inescapable. Adaptation is key to survival and drives me to think about my daily habits and look for changes that lead to sustainability for all life on our planet. As an artistic practice, I want my studio work to be an extension of who I am so I’m always looking for ways to spread this messaging with an approach that is inspiring and beautiful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.angelabeloian.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beloian/

Image Credits
Angela Beloian