About the Artist

 

I love nature and being outdoors. I grew up playing outdoors, taking my shoes off and wading in a creek, picking up a pretty rock, looking at the moss and running my hands over it. I know that is why I have such a love of painting nature... especially creeks and rocks, cascading water, and trees of all kinds. I truly love being out in nature! It restores my soul!

 

Living in the Southeastern US means I paint a lot of green paintings. But ...I also enjoy painting "plein air" (on location) in other places I visit, such as the Western United States. I enjoy spending time walking and exploring each new location before starting to paint. It allows me to soak up the colors found there and the way they harmonize with each other.

I have been painting for more than 50 years. Several of my paintings were chosen for the Georgia State Capital, offices of David Ralston, Speaker of the House: a 48" x 36" oil painting, and two smaller paintings. There were four large oil paintings commissioned for the Northeast Georgia Regional Hospital in Gainesville, GA, which are installed in the Surgical Wing waiting room. The same company also commissioned a large oil, 30" x 66" for a new wing of a hospital in Braselton, GA. I have been fortunate to have some of my paintings chosen for corporate and private collections across the United States.

 

It has been an honor to win numerous awards at regional, National and International Juried Exhibitions. Here are a few highlights of the paintings that have won awards that are special to me. I just received this month (July 2025) a notice about the painting you see at the top of the page, winning an award for the PleinAir Salon by Streamine Publishing (Plein Air Magazine). It will be one of the featured paintings in the upcoming Sept./Oct. magazine. I will also be in the running for the "yearly" awards they give to the paintings that win a monthly award! Last year I was excited to win First Place at two different plein air events, Providence Canyon on November 1 and Blue Ridge, GA in September (and that painting was accepted into this year's Oil Painters of America National Show and it sold! ... whoo hoo). I am always surprised when I win an award as it is not the reason I enter shows or plein air competitions. I truly enjoy showing what I paint, and the camaraderie at any of these events is what I do it for mostly. I love my artist friends, and the new people I meet at the events.

 

Some others that I am always proud to mention ... I was awarded “Second Place” by Judge Dawn Whitelaw at the 2016 BRMAA/SAAG National Show for “The Ridge in Red.” The painting “Willeo Park Misty” won “Best of Show” at the 2010 Great Chattahoochee Paint Out in Roswell GA, an "Award of Distinction" at the 2012 Women Painters of the Southeast First Annual Show in Jacksonville, FL and was juried into the 2013 IAPS 19th Juried Exhibition in Albuquerque, NM. Both of these paintings hang in my home! There have been others that have won various awards and have found their rightful owners...and a few I wish I had not let go!

 

I was honored to win a Purchase Award from the Buford Historical Museum for a painting of their town at the Buford Tannery Plein Air Festival. Another honor was to be featured in "The Guide to Georgia” several times, one of which was my plein air oil painting, “Fall Festival” (of the Blue Ridge Art Festival) on their 2014 Spring Cover.

One of my most special and large honor was to choose 60 colors for the "Marsha Savage Southeast Landscape Set" by Terry Ludwig Pastels. I love that many pastel artists will get to use a set that I chose from the vast beautiful colors they create. There were even some colors not in their inventory at that time that were made to fit a color I thought was important. What fun and hard work that was. Thank you Terry Ludwig Pastels ... I love you guys!

 

I am represented by Frameworks Gallery in Marietta GA, and the Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Assoc. in Blue Ridge GA. Now you can find a few pieces of my artwork showing at The Artisan's Village Gallery in Eatonton GA. Visit and let them know you want to see work by Marsha Savage! 

 

I have worked hard and become a Master or Signature Member of several art organizations and enjoy being a member of local and national organizations. A highlight is that I have attained Master Circle Status in the International Association of Pastel Societies in 2013, and received the Gold Medallion at the convention in June 2015.

 

I plan several workshops each year and participate in plein air festivals and paint-outs as often as possible. I enjoy being asked to give programs at arts organizations on my painting techniques, marketing and how I manage my art career. Demonstrating at arts organizations and galleries several times each year is a real treat for me and a way for me to give back!

 

I have been writing about art for a long time beginning with a blog many years ago. I have been writing a book about "being an artist" rather than a technique book and it is now finished and ready for an editor / publisher. To write occasionally, creating thought provoking articles on a site called, "Substack.com" besides newsletters and blog posts on my website. I show work on Fine Art America, Pinterest and Instagram. There is an Etsy Shop for my studies, experimental work and older pieces that did not find their rightful owner while in a gallery!

 

If you have read this far, thank you...  I am surprised! Like most artists, I have a list of numerous shows and exhibitions over the years, and many awards. The list below is a list highlighting some that mean a lot to me.

 

SOLO EXHIBITIONS - all titled "It's The Journey"

2024 -Sept. and Oct. (23 paintings) Smyrna Public Library - A Talk & Video interview for the Smyrna Archives as an Old Smyrna Family!

2020 - June & July (75 paintings) Paulding Fine Arts Association in the Historic Courthouse in Dallas GA

2014 - April  (85 paintings) Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Association, Blue Ridge, GA

2009 - August (115 paintings) Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Association, Blue Ridge, GA

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2024 - "Landscape Artist" for the 50th Anniversary Frameworks Gallery, One of four Gallery Artists, Marietta, GA

2021 - "Views of the World in Pastel", Four Person Show, Cultural Arts Council, Douglas / Douglasville, GA

2018 - Eastern League of Professional Artists (ELPA), Quinlan Art Center, Gainsville, GA

2017 - Eastern League of Professional Artists (ELPA), Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Association, Blue Ridge, GA

2010 - Facebook Juried Show - as Juror, Bucks County Art Gallery, New Hope, PA
          - The Great Chattahoochee Paint Out, Roswell, GA - Best of Show

 

INVITATIONAL SHOWS

2014 - "An Evening Among the Artists" Monastery of the Holy Spirit Invitational Plein Air, Conyers GA

2012 - "Resident Artist" Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Assoc., Sept. 30, 2012-Jan. 4, 2013, Blue Ridge, GA

2010 - "BIG II" Show, Tannery Row, Buford, GA, Honorable Mention Award

 --- and Purchase Award, Museum of Buford Permanent Collection, Historic Buford Plein Air Festival, Buford, GA

2008 - Second Best in Show & People's Choice Award - Southern Appalachian Artist Guild 1st Nat'l Juried Exhibition, Blue Ridge, GA 

2007 - "BIG" Show, Tannery Row, Buford, GA, Best in Show Award

 

Highlights of JURIED SHOWS And AWARDS

The Southeastern Pastel Society 2025 - 2001: Accepted into International and Member Shows (highlights/awards below):

--- 2025 Second Place, Master Division, Alpharetta, GA

--- 2016 Exceptional Merit Award, Stone Mountain, GA

--- 2007 Best of Show  & Honorable Mention, Stone Mountain, GA (Juror Terry Ludwig)

--- 2006 Exceptional Merit and People's Choice Award - Southeastern Pastel Society 12th International Show, Gainesville, GA

The Booth Museum & Booth Artists' Guild 2024 - 2001: Accepted into Booth Artists' Guild Art Exhibition at the Borderlands Gallery in the Booth Museum, Cartersville, GA

---2024 - 2022 BAG (Booth Artists' Guild) at the Downtown Gallery, Cartersville, GA

American Impressionist Society (AIS) 2024 - 2023: American Impressionist Society (AIS) Small Works Shows, St. Simons Island, GA & Knoxville, TN, and a couple of virtual Associate Member shows

--- 2013 AIS 14th National Juried Exhibit, Charleston, SC

Oil Painters of America 2025: Accepted into 2025 National Juried Exhibit, Bradenton, FL

Artisans Village Guild - 2024 & 2022: Lake Country Juried Art Show, Eatonton, GA

--- 2022 - Best of Show - Artisans Village Guild's Lake Country Juried Art Show, Eatonton, GA

Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Assoc. / Southern Appalachian Artist Guild 2023 - 2008: Juried Exhibitions, Blue Ridge, GA

--- 2016 Second Place - Nat'l Juried Exhibition, Blue Ridge, GA

--- 2008 Second Best in Show and People's Choice Award- 1st Nat'l Juried Exhibition, Blue Ridge, GA 

Cultural Arts Council of Douglasville/Douglas County, GA - 2024 & 2022: National Juried Arts Show

IAPS (International Association of Pastel Societies) 2015 - 2009:  Exhibitions and Web Shows,

--- 2009 - Their 18-Month Calendar

--- All leading to my Master Circle Designation

Pastel Society of North Florida - 2010:  Exceptional Merit Award -  11th Biennial National Juried Exhibition, Niceville FL

Degas Pastel Society - 2010:   13th Biennial National Juried Exhibition, Hammond LA

International Pastel Exhibition - 2007:  Yvetot, France / Giverny, France

Pastel Society of America - 2006: Open Exhibition, New York, New York

* And numerous plein air events, local and regional shows I have participated in and won awards in my area of North Georgia ... too many to list here.

 

There have been honored to be in articles in the following art magazines:

 

You can contact Marsha if you are interested in any information or paintings at [email protected].