For many years I was fortunate to work on the "Snowflake" as a designer together with Galina Marowski and Angelina Rakcheyeva, talented lace artists. Now they are honored artists of Russia.
These artist-friends graduated from the Moscow Art and Industrial School of M.I. Kalinin at the turn of 1970s and became worthy successors in the preservation of skills and traditions of such artists as V. D. Veselova (studying in 1939-1941), A. A. Korableva (graduated in 1939), V. N. Elfina (studying in 1947-1952), J. E. Humala (studying in 1957-1961).
The works by Galina and Angelina always follow the traditions of Vologda lace, there is a constant search, a desire for renewal. In the works by both women one can see a natural sense of beauty and harmony, rich imagination in the development of lace motifs, as well as strict logic, reasonableness and completeness of the composite solutions.
But still the products of artists are vividly different in style, manner. So, the interest of Galina to the historical past and spiritual themes gives the lace a kind of monumentality, which is reflected in the titles of the works — "My Russia Save Me", "Victory", "Peace to your Home", "Save and Protect", "Mother's Tenderness", "The Olympic Flame of Victory", "The Lake (Ferapontovo)"... Created several murals with images of spiritual and architectural monuments, churches and monasteries. Many love and copy her large napkin "Bird of Happiness".
On the contrary, Angelina shows her lyrical nature in lace. The main motive of her paintings is beauty of her native land in all its diversity: from nature to architectural monuments. A characteristic feature of Angelina's works is that this beauty is represented in folklore and poetic images, fairy tales. Man-made miracles are called her masterpieces: tablecloth "Metelitsa", "Tea in the Gazebo", "Terem-Teremok", "Cheerful Village"... She also created much clothes, for example, the famous long coat "Eugene" (the name of the eldest daughter) of dark blue silk, delicate collars and pelerins, jackets, blouses, tunics…
Each work of these artists reflects the triumph of true folk traditions, gives a gaity, fills with light and good emotions. The lace products created by them are stored in museums of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Zwolle, Kirov, Arkhangelsk, Vologda, Kirillov, Cherepovets, Syktyvkar, Sumy. And their works were exhibited in Australia, Mongolia, Hungary, Finland, Austria, Germany, Greece, Japan, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, France, Poland, Sweden, the Netherlands, India, Mozambique, the USA... Thanks to them Vologda lace won awards of the largest domestic and international exhibitions.