Art Exhibition “Given to the Light” Seeks To Provide Sanctuary in Loss

Local artist Susan Savage solo art exhibition at Hospice of Santa Barbara begins November 4
  


Painting by Susan Savage

October 2015, Santa Barbara, CA— Hospice of Santa Barbara welcomes local artist Susan Savage, who will display her art at the Leigh Block Gallery located within Hospice of Santa Barbara -- 2050 Alameda Padre Serra, Suite #100, Santa Barbara -- beginning November 4, 2015. 

Having taught art for more than 40 years, Savage finds that one of its essential functions is to make the familiar a little strange and the familiar appear somehow unfamiliar. As a painter, Savage is attracted to common objects and the stories their visual relationships can tell.    
In her exhibit “Given to the Light,” Savage notes that capturing the intriguing elements of the complex reflective surfaces of silver bowls, which she has painted for years, stimulates her sense of adventure. But her true vision is focused on portraying something more than what her eyes see.

“In my work I strive to portray the interaction between seen and unseen realities, and in doing so I seek something sacred,” said Savage. “In these works, the transformative nature of light helps to reveal things in the darkness to give physical and symbolic life to my visual narratives. In support of the work that Santa Barbara Hospice brings to those who are suffering loss, this new body of work was created specifically to provide visual comfort and personal contemplation for those in the midst of grief, hardship and struggle.” 
Raised in Santa Rosa, CA, Savage earned her Master of Fine Arts at UCSB and has lived in Santa Barbara for 47 years. A retired Westmont College Professor Emeritus, Savage pursued various forms of media in her early teaching career before focusing on painting. 
Her artwork has been featured in many local invitational exhibitions, and nationally at the Canton Museum of Art in Ohio, Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois, Calvin College in Michigan, and the New York Center for Art and Media Studies.
On Wednesday, November 4 from 5:30 to 7 p.m., Hospice of Santa Barbara will host a wine and hors d’oeuvres open house reception for the new exhibit. 
Savage will donate 25% of the proceeds from her art sales to Hospice of Santa Barbara, Inc., a volunteer hospice organization. 

Hospice of Santa Barbara “volunteers” its free professional counseling and care management services those who are experiencing the impact of a life-threatening illness, or grieving the death of a loved one. Hospice of Santa Barbara is also present on six local high school campuses to work with children and teens who are grieving the loss of a loved one. For more information about Hospice of Santa Barbara, including volunteer opportunities, call (805) 563-8820 or visit www.hospiceofsantabarbara.org.