SAVAGE ART Gallery and Studio houses an eclectic collection of work from local artists.
SAVAGE ART Gallery and Studio’s beachy peach and turquoise exterior brings alive the dream of a Carolina art studio for owners Wayne and Rebecca Savage in Hocking Hills.
Opening only six months ago, the gallery and studio in Nelsonville is in its infancy.
The Savages’ tastes for primitive folk art drove them to seek more than a dozen self-taught artists, Wayne said.
“There’s not much of a venue for self-taught artists,” he said.
After building his own reputation by sculpting buildings out of foam board, Wayne began to work primarily in ceramic sculpture.
“My secret to success as an artist is that I’m a determined artist,” he said.
Rebecca developed as an artist only after marrying Wayne. While dabbling with art, Rebecca said she tried a variety of mediums. She now works mainly with clay sculpture.
“It just developed over the years and became a passion,” she said.
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Wayne said he has now taken the role of student as he learns from his wife, something he finds inspirational.
Rick Crooks, a metal sculptor featured at the gallery, has been blind since he was 16 years old.
“I don’t see it as a problem, an inconvenience maybe,” Crooks said.
He said he was lucky in that before becoming blind he was able to travel and see Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon.
“Anything you would have seen I’ve seen a lot of it,” he said. “I’ve got an idea of what I’m wanting to do when I (work).”
Crooks’ sculptures range from little bugs made of spark plugs to tall, intricate animals. He uses unconventional materials such as shovels, saw blades and horseshoes, and often buys old farm equipment from auctions, markets and yard sales.
“Most of (my works) are repurposed, recycled,” he said.
After establishing himself in the ‘90s with shows at Lindsay Gallery in Columbus, he became acquainted with Wayne, who judged a competition he had entered.
Christi Newman Lanning, creator of Christiraephotos, was approached by Rebecca through Lanning’s Facebook group.
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Lanning took up photography after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, a diagnosis that led her to a newfound relationship with nature.
“I told God that when he provided me with that camera and he showed me his beautiful nature that I would share it,” Lanning said.
Photography is a form of therapy, she said, adding that her art helps her mentally. She often sits in her yard for hours photographing the nature around her.
As the disease progresses, leaving her with deteriorating balance and shaking hands, it is becoming more challenging, she said. However, she doesn't plan on giving up.
The gallery has given Lanning’s work a wider audience.
“They give us (artists) an opportunity to express ourselves and let other people see what we can do,” she said.
Other artists include Athens native Dave Shull, a woodworker who constructs furniture out of tree limbs, and Debbie Lee-Frazier, an artist who uses melted wax in vibrant watercolor-effect paintings.
Though the Nelsonville gallery is a revision of what Rebecca calls their “pure dream” of owning a gallery in the Outer Banks, when the opportunity came to purchase the space they went for it.
“It was, and it has been, a dream for a long time,” she said. “When you fulfill your dreams it’s a wonderful thing.”
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