Tom Savage

Tom Savage was as distinguished contemporary American painter whose profound abstract works drew from the rich legacies of post-war European automatism, surrealism, and abstract expressionism. Savage’s work is renowned for its emotional depth and complexity. His art not only captured the attention of galleries and museums but also earned critical acclaim in publications such as the Los Angeles Times, Artweek, and Arts Magazine. Reviews often highlighted the unique tension and dynamism in his work, where form and color interacted in ways that both challenged and captivated the viewer.

Statement:      

“My work takes an historical cue from post-war European Automatism and Surrealism, and the powerful influence those movements had on what’s now called Abstract Expressionism. At the same time, I’ve always been fond of the directness and beauty seen in early Japanese and Chinese ink works. So it’s really the physical and poetic qualities of abstraction that I love and try to practice daily.

That said, I have always enjoyed the risk of starting a painting or drawing with what at first may appear to be formless, only to realize a kind of trigger, or glimpse into my own thoughts and day-to-day experiences. Once that happens, I take the work to a formal stage; shaping the piece into a visual narrative which might include landscape, organic forms, or personal symbols, such as eyes, walls, teeth—the list goes on and on—references that makes some sense to me and hopefully the viewer.

For the past few years, I’ve been working with the delicate balance which painting and drawing share when given varying degrees of emphasis. In most of my paintings I use a combination of acrylic, oil, and drawing media simultaneously to lead the viewer into a
new place of visual poetics.”