My paintings from 2005 are inspired in part by a trip I made earlier this year to the north island of New Zealand. There I experienced the lush tropical vegitation and colorful flowering trees native to that island. There were enormous Jacaranda trees laden with purple flowers, lit by an intense tropical sun. I had not bee outside the continental U.S. in a decade, so this exotic and seductive landscape had a tremendous impact on me.
When I returned home, spring was just beginning in the Pacific Northwest. I began taking close notice of the signs of new life in the abundant plants around me, of buds bursting forth, of flowering rhododendrons and tulip trees, of cherry blossoms blowing down windy streets like confetti. In the studio, I have been using painting as a way of interpreting these experiences and expressing the coming of new growth and renewal. In m own life, I have experienced a similar transition into the new, and this recent set of paintings represents my outward reflection of that change.
Artist Statement
--Sarah Savidge