Savage Gallery is pleased to be showing the colorful paintings of local Palm Springs artist Bonnie Denver Ruttan.  Bonnie's work will be on desplay this weekend only in the boutique section of the gallery.  Do not miss your chance to own a piece from this amazing talent.

What would a dog series be without a few Cats.

The thriving arts community which stretches from Morongo Valley to Wonder Valley, through the inspiring land of the Joshua Tree and the surrounding area is uniquely vibrant, touched by the magic of the desert.  During the two final weekends of October, hundreds of emerging and established artists, working in all types of media, welcome thousands of visitors, on a self-guided journey, into "open studio," their private workspaces, their homes.

This years Art Tours is more ambitious than ever, with events ranging from an avant gard circus to a drive-in movie screening of a 1950's sci-fi classic filmed in Joshua Tree.

Saturday, October 1st, Savage gallery will hoast an evening where a subgroup of artists will show samples of the work which will be part of the Art Tours.

The soundtract to your trip through the desert, a compilation CD made for this years Art Tour, is comprised of 18 Hi Desert bands, in cluding dreamy, experimental musicians Polio Sugar.

This years 10th annual Hyy 62 Art Tours is the premiere arts event of the year in the Hi Desert, taking place October 21-23 and 28-30.  Attendees of the Savage Gallery on October 1st will be privileged to a sneak preview.  Handsomely designed retro programs and CD's will be available.

This an opening you can't miss.

After October 1st, this show will be up only through October 9th- by appointment only.

   The Savage Galley and Boutique's "Savage Super Show" was held in Palm Springs on Saturday, September 17th, and was nothing less than a spectacular success.  Nine different dedicated, well-known artists, representing a wide range of creative media, exhibited skillful works which were visually awe-inspiring and a significant indication of the kind of exceptional local and international talent to be found in this gallery's roster of shows.    From a two-year-old watercolorist newcomer to an eighty-seven-year-old award-winning assemblage artist, from the outrageous to the sublime -- art stars shone brightly.  Beautiful hand-made jewelry was worn by some attendees, designed by one of the artists.  Original music was created especially for the night and played as a backdrop. Dozens of enthusiastic guests swirled about the spacious gallery, taking in the sights of an expert presentation, enjoying the free open bar (including aged champagne) and sumptuous food (including home-made chocolate cheesecake), and meeting one interesting person after another.  Joining the festivities were celebrities such as charming Internationally-known photographer John Palatinus, whose own Savage Gallery show will be announced in the near future. Several art works were sold that evening, as well as boutique items, including a hand-carved wooden goddess figure from the Brother Andy Collection, a rustic one-of-a-kind "stick" table and Chinese-style folding chairs.  Best of all, the show raised hundreds of dollars and social awareness for the Mizell Senior Center in Palm Springs through generous donations and portions of the sales of artworks. The event was sponsored by PalmSpringsArtHome.com.    You won't find this kind of art event anywhere else in the Coachella Valley , including the most prestigious galleries and museums.  What makes the difference?  The "Super Show" proved that Savage's open-door policy to professional artists searching for a quality venue to express themselves, combined with an emphasis on promoting community-consciousness and social networking, makes Savage Gallery and Boutique, by far, the most forward-thinking, exciting gallery in the valley -- a true art destination in every sense. The "Savage Super Show", like the gallery itself, was a success directly due to the unbridled passion and unending drive of gallery owner/artist Savage and his special vision of sharing his love of art with others.  

  artist savage knows his stuff   by brother andy   "Unique" is the Holy Grail in art.  Everyone is searching for "it".   When an artist breaks "the rules of art", the viewer is sometimes challenged to understand and appreciate what the artist is doing within the artist's work.  Even those who are educated in the "language of art" can overlook obvious talent because art is basic storytelling in metaphoric code, requires an imaginative visceral response, and viewers may not have yet learned the basic keys of a particular artist's visual "storyline" -- especially someone of "vision".  Art is about human experience and an artist's job is to challenge conventional thinking.  There may not anything to compare an artist's work to because his work is original.   Wide-spread myths about artists, such as "they are all crazy", may also impede full acknowledgement of talent when confronted by challenging work.  Finding the right combination of time, place, materials, "storyline" and artistic self-actualization may come after years -- even decades -- of what seems to be failure. The true core principle of art (and all of media) is that of the artist telling you something you already know, that you recognize, playing off of your experiences and prejudices, with just enough surprise as to be entertaining.  If an artist can not find "common ground" with a viewer in some manner, the art becomes so much gibberish and is negated, leaving everyone involved frustrated and sad.  If an artist to stating too much of the obvious, the work is thought of as boring -- if thought of at all.   What do you look at when critiquing, understanding and appreciating art?  There are the traditional criteria of composition (the arrangement of elements within a framework), color theory (a purpose to color choices), contrast (elements are defined), subject matter (whether abstract or representational), technique (how the artist constructs the work), original presentation (the work says something new, in a new way, usually by including all the elements just described with intent). Additionally, some art scholars include historic context into the mix.  I tend to also lump art into three general categories: cute (craft and hobbyists, decorative), witty (clever commercial professionals, functional), intellectual (work that makes you think, educational), and the radical (life-altering experiences, genius) in which the work transmits "a truth" beyond the combination of materials and literal meaning. Notice there has been no mention of fame or fortune as a scale for rating a "successful artist".    The more a viewer studies the varied body of work of Palm Springs, California, fine artist, Savage, 43, the more one sees. Savage is a prolific painter, interior designer, author, multi-media entrepreneur, and forward-thinking gallery owner.  He is also known as "the highest selling artist in the area", but don't let that fool you into thinking he's simply a work-for-hire. Analyze where he fits in the artistic scale by using the criteria described above and the work suddenly has a larger context than a "common professional artist who just makes work to sell".    Performer Lady Gaga uses the creative process of "Retro-Future Intriguism Art Method" (that I am in the process of developing further) and so does Savage, even Versace and David Bowie do, although none of them are aware of the title.  What they do is look to history for so much raw materials -- not a particular style or "stealing" -- but something that can be used, re-interpreted, a tool for problem-solving, to apply to today and call to a possible future.  Whereas Pop is a direct use of cultural reference and Dada is basically de-constructional in approach, Retro-Futurism starts by not conforming to any "isms" at all, widening a spectrum of the "language of art" to be all-inclusive (and decidedly without the hostile attitude found in many artist's work where the "joke" is on the art world itself).  Savage's vision is not so much as "influenced" by the past or present, as much as a reference catalogue of collective concepts, a collage of inspirations, brought together in a cohesive presentation.   Savages' "Big Head" series alone is as valid as any Picasso portrait, with the same kind of child-like abstraction and freedom from stuffy representational art.  In these paintings of conflicting mood (both vibrant youthfulness and tainted moodiness), Savage is a true colorist -- with canary yellow, bright orange and day-glow green -- but the finish layer is grungy, dirty, aged with a veneer of washed black, leaving a masterly touch of serious social commentary.  Whimsy not withstanding, this is art to be taken seriously.    Pop art elements spring up in his graphic displays such as coffee cup and dog portraits. Dada influences are seen in the collage media.  Savage is prolific and proficient.  Will Savage's work stand the test of time?  Yes.  Surrealism, Abstract, Modern, commercial art, satire -- it's all there, if one looks. Those who don't look and see are missing out.   Savage's work is unique -- edgy, bold, contemporary, fresh.  He has "it".

In the past few days I was lucky enough to find some nice pieces of mid-century jewlery.  The cuff links are by Swank.  Items are available in Vintage Jewlery on this site.

  Sculptor Rik Phillips Exhibits At Savage Gallery’s “Super Show” Palm Springs contemporary sculptor Rik Phillips has amassed an impressive variety of patrons of the arts clients, including Barbara Streisand, as well as being part of the permanent art collection of business tycoon Armand Hammer. The talented Mr. Phillips is also eclectic in his wide range of sculpting styles -- from the wildly “retro-futuristic” such as the “Biomutants” series to the delicately crafted “old world” reproductions of everyday objects carved from wood to massive metal abstract public works such as the sculpture seen on prestigious El Paseo Drive in Palm Desert. He also had the good fortune to meet and work with Internationally-know sculptor Alexander Calder. Phillips will reveal never-before-seen works at the upcoming Savage Gallery’s “Savage Super Show” event. Portion of the event’s proceeds will benefit The Mizell Senior Center. Sponsored by PalmSpringsArtHome.com. “Rik’s Phillips is a high-profile, well-established artist,” explains Savage, the owner of the gallery. “The obvious versatility, craftsmanship and integrity in the work reflect the qualities of the artist who created them.”

    Savage Gallery proudly presents premiere assemblage artist Peggy Vermeer, who is an industrious paper-maker, painter, and monotype print-maker (www.art assemblages.com). She has been a tireless educator of generations of artists and a invaluable asset to the Palm Springs Art Museum as a knowledgeable docent. The vivacious Ms. Vermeer has won every major juried art award in the Coachella Valley region over the last forty years. Her inspiring work will be exhibited at the “Savage Super Show”, with portions of the event’s proceeds benefiting The Mizell Senior Center. Sponsored by PalmSpringsArtHome.com.   "Savage Gallery is all about gifted artists -- 'art stars', really. What we are presenting in the ’Super Show’ is equal to -- if not greater than -- anything you'd find anywhere in the Coachella Valley," reports gallery owner, Savage. "...Including high-end galleries or museums. We are more than honored to have Ms. Vermeer‘s contributions. "