Savannah Sturgill

Be Right Back

Observation has always been at the heart of my practice. I observe the foreign, outside world, digest what I see, and attempt to replicate life's complexities on a two-dimensional surface. I am drawn to the human experience of overthinking, over-analyzing, drawing conclusions, miscommunication, and the pursuit of connection through non-verbal cues. I do not seek to paint narrative scenes, but to represent these complicated feelings. Not every moment in life is spectacular, or traumatic. People like to think of their lives as big moments, boxes to check. Instead, I want to represent the beauty and tragedy of life as a collection of little moments that collide, creating a unique human experience.

Painting is my way of paying homage to the human condition. I manipulate paint, color, and space to add value to otherwise mundane events. By analyzing the disjunction in social spaces, I create visual expressions of the complicated relationships we have with one another. I find I can tease out these fictional, secret, personal thoughts as the scene unfolds. Community and isolation, the urge to remain social creatures in our contemporary world, regrets and triumphs, external expression opposed by internal thoughts. As figures interact with one another in these colorful spaces, a narrative is formed that is not just my own, but a collection of personal, observed, and imagined interactions, seeking to represent something greater than just its parts.

@savannah_haven_