Profile: Mike Savage
Mike (Sav) Savage is one of Kansas City’s most iconic artists. Mike studied at the University of Kansas and has been painting and developing his impressionistic and expressionistic style for decades. The subject of Mike’s works, often local landscapes, are full of color and imbued with a sense of life. Get to know Mike and get a glimpse inside his cozy book-and-music-filled home studio.
Photos by Kaley Kocinski
When did you first start painting for a career?
When I was born.
What is your first memory creating art?
Crayons and a wall?
Did you always want to be an artist, or did you ever pursue a different path?
Yes, but along the way I almost opted to culinary school. And I so enjoyed working my uncle’s farm, I thought about following in his footsteps. These experiences all combined to make my art what it is today.
How did you develop your style?
Took time, but mostly from studying color theory at KU.
Your work certainly shares a lot of joy! How do you choose what colors to use?
Instinct. I just feel it. It has to be a balance. Color theory is about how color works against each other...some don't. I choose ones that do!
Did you have any mentors or teachers along the way who impacted your creative journey?
My high school teacher at Bishop Ward Catholic School, Sister Francis Marie, really made me aware of what I was trying to do. And all my teachers at KU. They just made you think. Never showed you how, just to be yourself, and let it come out.
What advice would you share with aspiring artists?
Take every opportunity. Big or small. Throw your ego out. Make mistakes. Be honest with yourself. Say why doesn’t it work versus saying I think it’s okay. Life is a lesson. It’s all practice. Learn from it.
We’re not all going to be Michael Jordan. So be content with what you get to do with your work at any level. Keep going, don’t quit. And I always say, you can’t be picky, at least at first. If you’re not seen, you’re not seen.
What are your favorite tools?
Pencil.
How would you describe your studio? How have you made your studio an enriching and productive place to be?
My home. Where I belong and feel at one with the world. It’s an art cave! Just a part of me. Lots of creative junk.
What music do you listen to while you paint?
So much, I don’t know where to start. I have a large library. I like melodic folky songs with melody to start, and as I finish, I tend to crank it up. When not painting and just doing art-related stuff, I can go from Van Morrison, to the Grateful Dead, to Joni Mitchell, Bruce, and so much new stuff I’ve discovered. I like songs that tell me a story. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, The Avett Brothers, and so on.
Do you have any favorite subjects or themes to paint?
I love landscapes of any kind, since I worked on my Uncle’s Farm South of Eudora, East of Lawrence, Kansas, so many years. But I paint everything. When I see something I like, I just paint it. Shapes, forms, good composition. That’s what I look for.
What techniques do you use?
Mine. Pencil. Brush on canvas. I don’t use a palette. I mix directly on the canvas. So I guess that helps keep it impressionistic and expressionistic?
How long does it take you to complete a painting?
Like a buddy of mine told me what he tells people. (because his work looks so easy, yet it’s not)...About two to four hours and 61 years….
How has living in Kansas City impacted the work you do?
People like me to paint familiar scenes, Plaza, Skyline, etc. I can draw them blind by now!
Who are artists that inspire you?
Well I have my faves. Monet, John Singer Sargent, Wayne Thiebaud, Rothko, and the California school of impressionists and all impressionistic artists.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Read.
Do you have any all-time favorite books you’d like to share?
Well, I read a book or two a week. No paper or TV. Dang commercials. And it allows me to disappear. Catcher in the Rye and On the Road got me hooked. (I was a big art movie buff for a tad, college years). But I like mysteries, historical ones. From ancient times to modern times. But not blood and gore. I like to learn the psychology of people of different eras.
Fave authors? Gosh, so many. James Lee Burke, Laurie King, Jacqueline Winspear, Martin Walker, Oscar Wilde, Christopher Fowler (you must read his Bryant and May series!). And of course, Tom Robbins and Hunter S. Thompson. Reading the WWI and WWII series by Jacqueline Winspear. So relates to our times in our Government. I’ll leave it at that!
Where’s your favorite place to eat in Kansas City?
Hmmm. Rosedale BBQ, Dagwood’s Café, Arthur Bryant’s. So many! My home!
