We recently had the chance to connect with Savonna Nicole Atkins and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Savonna Nicole, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
I have been reading fiction! This year I’ve read 103 books, many of them audiobooks that I can listen to while painting or sewing. For years I read almost exclusively non-fiction. Now I am reading for the joy of it.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am an abstract painter and textile artist living in Suwanee and working from my studio in Lawrenceville, Georgia. In my textile work, I cut up pieces of clothing, sheets, curtains, and upholstery samples. I loosely weave together an arrangement and incorporate the opaque and semi-transparent fabrics with layers of hand stitching, woven yarn, and embroidery. I love playing with color and texture. I love creating a lot of variety in my work that somehow comes together in a cohesive composition. In my finished pieces, I intentionally leave some frays and raw edges as a means of challenging my own perfectionism.
Similarly, my paintings are very colorful and layered. My subject matter is often inspired by the natural world and childhood memories. I love creating abstract compositions with the depth of a landscape. At any given time, I probably have about twenty paintings in my studio that are in progress. I gradually rework color combinations, edges, and paint transparencies by adding layers of acrylic paint and soft pastel, and then lightly sanding the surface to expose sections of previous layers. My painted shapes, brushstrokes, and broken lines reference my experience weaving, sewing, and manipulating fabrics like sheer silks, frayed cotton, wool knits, and heavy canvas.
I received my MFA in painting from the Savannah College of Art and Design Atlanta in 2015. Over the past two years, I have been reestablishing my studio practice after having kids and raising them during the pandemic. I regularly exhibit my textiles at Wavelength Space in Chattanooga, Tennessee and I exhibit my work locally at the Hudgens Center, the Pollinator Art Space, and the Suwanee Arts Center. Additionally, I have exhibited my work in Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, California, France, South Korea, and Hong Kong.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who taught you the most about work?
When you are an artist, you need to create to be mentally healthy. The desire to hyperfocus on a creative pursuit is innate, the challenge lies in scheduling and sticking to a studio practice. After having kids, I learned a lot about prioritizing my own creative work that is fulfilling and meaningful through coaching and therapy.
My professors at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) Atlanta and the instructors at Maryland Institute College of Art Young People’s Studios greatly influenced my understanding of the potential of a creative practice and art career. My formal education exposed me to a large range of visual mediums including photography, collage, drawing, painting, sculpting, papermaking, printmaking, soft pastels, and digital art. Most importantly though, my graduate school professors motivated me to be very intentional about my choices for processes, content, and materials used in my work.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
For five years I was a (mostly) stay-at-home mom, working very part-time as a recreation therapist and painting collaboratively with my kids. There was a lot of joy in sharing art processes with my children and encouraging their creativity. I very well could have continued that life, giving up a professional art career and instead channeling my creative energies into cooking, baking, phone photography, and teaching my children. It certainly was what society was telling me to do. I still found moments to paint and sew, but I was not creating a body of work that was interesting on an intellectual level. I felt disconnected from my artist identity and local art community.
My mindset shifted in 2023. I was in therapy and coaching following the death of my dad, and it finally clicked that I couldn’t keep putting off being an artist. I too could die at any point, and I needed to prioritize what made me feel fulfilled, outside of motherhood. Once my youngest was old enough to start an affordable, part-time preschool, I committed to my art career again. It took about six months of intentional effort to reestablish my personal studio practice and exhibit my new work in galleries. Once I was exhibiting, I did not sell a painting for about nine months. I had to nurture my artistic identity like a newborn baby, but I am so glad that I did.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I am committed to allowing each painting and textile piece to evolve over time. I have a whole shelf of unfinished paintings and several bins of textile experimentations in my studio because I take my time resolving my compositions. When I add a layer of paint, my goal is often to distort what is underneath, but not completely obscure the colors and texture. I let my pieces build up, I strategically edit, and then I’ll let them build it up more, followed by more additive and reductive editing. It brings me true joy discovering what a painting is supposed to be. If I could churn out beautiful paintings with a winning formula, maybe I would. However, my mind starts to rebel whenever something feels formulaic and I have an overwhelming desire to subvert the expected.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: When do you feel most at peace?
I feel most at peace freestyle dancing to music, painting, and sewing by hand. I was not skilled enough to pursue dance professionally, but my mind is very content when I combine creative expression, whole-body movement, and good music. Creating visual artwork is peaceful in that I can achieve a flow state. It offers intriguing mental challenges with visual and physical sensory feedback. On top of that, painting a safe way to explore ideas and make mistakes. The worst thing that can happen is I have to trash the piece, but more likely, I can just paint over it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.savonnanicole.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/savonnanicole
- Twitter: https://bsky.app/profile/savonnanicole.bsky.social
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/savonnanicole/
- Other: Bluesky:
https://bsky.app/profile/savonnanicole.bsky.social
Image Credits
Ashley Akins Photography (studio photos)
Keri Weiland Photography (exhibition wall, detail of painting)
