TONY SAVOIE

WINTER PARK, FL | USA

Tony Savoie's work is different. Different enough to make you take a second and third look, but not so radical that it torments you trying to find hidden meaning and rules within.

Using various forms of mixed media, Savoie creates work that is an aggressive combination of pop art, advertising, typography, color, and scale. Bright, bold, and interesting, his work refreshing to both look and talk about.

For his most recent series - the Command Series - his focus has turned to dogs and their relationship with their owners. As he describes in his artist statement, "I'm attempting to balance anger and apathy with humor and horror."

In his statement, he also generously describes his process: "The technical process for this series involves reverse oil painting directly onto clear acrylic sheets. I use stencils, spray paint, pencils, masking tape, and traditional oil painting. The next step involves the selection and placement of photos and objects that are designed to expand the physical and conceptual depth of the piece in a quest for new questions and relationships."

WEBSITE: http://www.tonysavoie.com
INQUIRIES: Work ranges in price from $400+. For information about purchasing, contact the artist directly: tonysavoie@hotmail.com.
All images Copyright Tony Savoie.

MELODY POSTMA

Savannah, GA | USA

"Melody Postma holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Savannah College of Art and Design. She says her work is a multi-layered evolution of vivid color, playful shapes, and rich textured surfaces."

Her subjects vary from pure abstraction to references of textural fragments, nonchalant figures, landscapes, and dreams."
- From description on Bennett Gallery website

Postma's colors, cut-out figures, drawing, and shapes create an interesting combination of work that look to borrow from works by Basquiat and others. Some whimsical, some serious, her mixed-media work is fresh, interesting, and inquisitive.

WEBSITE: melodypostma.com
INQUIRIES: Postma's work can be found at the Matre Gallery at Tula Arts Center in Atlanta and Bennett Gallery in Nashville. Prices start around $800+.
All images Copyright Melody Postma.

HOWARD FINSTER

Pennville, GA
December 2, 1916 - October 22, 2001

Howard Finster, a one-time Baptist minister, lawn mower, and television repair man, settled in rural Georgia and began painting out of a feeling of divine inspiration and as a way to tell stories of salvation to the masses. His art career took off in the 1980s as Folk Art gained popularity, a genre into which the art world had neatly shoe-horned Finster's style.

Finster's work is well-known in many circles from museums and galleries to small collectors throughout the world. In his lifetime, he created more than 45,000 works of art, as well as a two-and-a-half art refuge containing pieces made from found materials. Located in Pennville, GA, Finster's "Paradise Garden" attracts flocks of fans each year to admire his most interesting, permenant work.

Each of Finster's pieces are a combination of sacred and cultural icons that are frequently mixed with messages reflecting his religious past. In fact, Finster's entire art career began with divine inspiration to use art to further religious messages. Whether directly or not, these messages are found throughout his work, even including album covers for the Talking Heads and R.E.M. (when asked why he designed the covers even though he does not like rock and roll, Finster replied that "I had twenty six million verses go out and reach the world").

Most of his pieces are composed of paint on wood or found objects. Although influenced by divinity, the art does not feel "religious" in an overbearing way. Colorful and often whimsical, Finster's work remains wildly popular today.

WEBSITE: www.finster.com
INQUIRIES: There are a lot of brick-and-mortar galleries and websites who sell Finster's work, because he produced it so prolifically. Some online resources are Anton Haardt Gallery, David Leonardis Gallery, and Garde-Rail Gallery. Prices start around $350+.
All images Copyright Howard Finster.

RODNEY WHITE

New York, USA

On Rodney White's web site, he refers often to dreams and aged materials. His work is a colorful combination of both. Make sense? Maybe not in writing, but his work is something different.

Using bright colors, non-traditional surfaces (he creates most of his "canvases" out of wood panels, doors, etc), and a commercial style, White's paintings are a cross between pop-art, folk art, and written word. Each piece is as vibrant in color as it is in the message it delivers.

The aging that White applies to his paintings is a combination of arbitrary rips, tears, rubs, and planned creativity. The effect takes the sharpness off of clean edges without losing any power in his message. The end result is something easy to digest, deep enough to interpret, and complex enough to keep you interested.

As good as his paintings are, Rodney is a really nice guy, and extraordinarily creative. The purchase of one of Rodney's paintings kick started this site, so I hope anyone else interested gets a chance to talk to him as well.

WEBSITE: www.rodney-white.com
INQUIRIES: Start by contacting him through his website. Rodney's work ranges in price from the low hundreds well into the thousands for the moment.
All images Copyright Rodney White.