Anca Vanetea
Meet the Designer-Artist (Creator of AnGeGi Soutache)
My name is Anca, but in the beading world, I go by "AnGeGi Soutache", a name brand I created for myself, tying together the first 2 letters from my name, my son's and my husband's. I started to bead 3 years ago, after a trip to Romania, my native country, when my parents gifted me a Soutache set made by my dear friend Alina. After returning home, I dabbled with the thoughts of starting to bead. I knew nothing about soutache, beading, embroidery, bezeling or Shibori silk. So, with 8 hours difference and an ocean apart, Alina started to give me some points on what to purchase and how to start. And the rest is history: I'm a self-taught jewelry creator, native Romanian and librarian in my country of origin. I settled to the U.S.A. (Texas) 20 years ago when I started everything from scratch, put myself through three schools, and ended up working in the operating room for the past 15 years as a licensed surgical assistant.
If initially I started to bead in Soutache technique, I felt that wasn't enough for me and I wanted to do more and better. I ended up watching YouTube videos and started to bezel rivolis, slowly advancing to make elaborated pieces in beading embroidery and eventually adding Shibori silk to it. This year I had the honor of being published twice in Bead and Button, under "My Work" in issues February (with the Soutache and beading set "The Black Lace") and October (with the beading embroidery set "The Rodeo set"). I have also participated in the BOTB, 2019.
What inspires you as a designer-artist?
This is a great question because I never sketch anything. I have all the projects in mind and, when I'm inspired, I just sit down and bead. The majority of time I look at a cabochon and then I simply go with it. That's the reason why I have gaps in the right of my creations, and also I never duplicate anything: all my jewelry are unique pieces.
What medium do you work with mostly?
I consider myself a versatile creator, because I wanted to explore many options while expressing my love for colors, shapes and sizes: I like combining all the techniques I taught myself, because it makes me a complex artist and gives my pieces a different story to tell.
Why did you become enchanted with this style of jewelry-making?
Great question: there are a few artists I admire tremendously in the beading world: Alina Feher (my dear Romanian friend that introduced me to Soutache), Guzialia Reed (beading embroidery creator), Olga Henderson and Ruxandra Puscas, to name a few.
Do you sell or donate your creations?
I do both. Every Christmas, I make several pieces of jewelry to donate to cancer patients. My dad and my brother-in-law are cancer survivors, while several of my friends lost their battles to cancer in the past two years. I also worked for five years in a reputable cancer facility, so I have a very soft spot for the cancer patients and their trauma. So, when Christmas comes, I ask around, I send gifts by mail or I give my creations to cancer patients' relatives to surprise them with under the tree. I also donate them to Siena Heights University in Michigan, being a Saint Alumni, to raise funds; I gift my friends for their events; and eventually I sell some of them.
What is the name of the piece you submitted with your success story?
My entry piece is called Helianthus, Latin for Sunflower. I imagined this masterpiece as I was walking through a wheat field full of sunflowers, and as I walked through, I couldn't see others in the background, lost in the field. The sunflower is a 3D image of a real flower with tons of petals layered with crystals and gold tule, and a little lady bug design on one of them. The back of the piece shows the sunflower viewed from behind, while walking through a field of gold wheat, poppy flowers and corn flowers. The stem is made out of soutache cords and beads and the leaves out of the Shibori silk and malachite stones, topped off with small triangles of beads and crystals.
Advice to New Creators
Don't ever lose hope in your ability to create, don't ever give up on yourself and don't be afraid to be you! Let your beautiful soul express the magic of the world and do not forget, you are part of it.
For everyone interested to see more of my creations, please visit my Facebook page and Instagram at "AnGeGi Soutache". And remember, the sky is the limit! Don't ever stop dreaming big!