GENTRY -- Throughout the decades, artist Cecil "CW" Savage has had a lucrative career in the art world.
Many of his works have been featured in magazines, commercial advertisements and even displayed in fine art galleries around the world. Businesses have commissioned Savage to paint murals and many people have walked by his work.
Nowadays, the 83-year-old Savage teaches art in his studio at 23911 Westpoint Road in Gentry and still creates art by exploring other mediums such as stained glass and wood carving.
A new favorite is 3D art in which Savage attempts to blend sculpture and painting. This gives viewers the feeling that the artwork is coming alive, he said. One of his 3D art pieces features a girl at night catching fireflies. The jar she holds lights up from the festive string of lights that are powered behind the canvas.
These days, Savage creates art from anything he can get his hands on. Golf balls, carpets, glass and anything nature can give; he'll take it and make something out of it. During a recent interview, he drew attention to a little display of a man collecting pumpkins for the fall. The whole scene fits right into his hand.
"Do you know what those are? Those are acorns," he said.
Savage said he still looks for new ways to explore his creativity.
He said many people who have met him ask the same question: "Why did you become an artist?" And his lighthearted answer has always been the same.
"I was too lazy to work and too nervous to steal," he said.
Savage knew from an early age that he wanted to be an artist. From his first art lessons in Siloam Springs to the University of Arkansas, where he became a graphic designer, Savage's education would carry him down a path that would become his legacy. At one point, Savage received special recognition from Charlie Daniels, the Arkansas secretary of state at the time.
"I was a guest to the secretary of state and had a show in the rotunda and was asked to do a picture of the Capitol," he said.
Savage's art studio has multiple workspaces for students. He has equipped each space with desk lamps, paintbrushes, pens, pencils and acrylic paints of various colors. The walls are decorated with decades of paintings, prints and souvenirs that featured his art. One of his first watercolor works still hangs in his studio. It depicts a rooster with two hens drinking from a cascading river.
Savage said the works of Norman Rockwell have inspired his own art. His artwork features subjects of everyday life in an Americana setting. He said each of his pieces tells a story within a story. To top it off, he sprinkles each one with a dash of humor, whether it's mischievous children popping balloons at the county fair or bikers at a Las Vegas Route 66 drive-in, he said.
Savage also credits the artist Haddon Sundblom as one of his influences.
Sundblom is best known for his advertising work for the Coca-Cola Co., which features illustrations depicting Santa Claus enjoying a Coca-Cola.
Savage used his talents for commercial art and other promotional works. Companies like Bell Telephone, Disney, Tyson and PepsiCo have used his art in their advertisements.
Savage said his works are more of an exploration than a photograph in his mind.
"I have an idea to start with, but it grows as we go ... through the process," he said.
If someone wants to be an artist, Savage said education is very important.
"Take a lesson or two," he said. "And I'll go through all the problems that I had and how to overcome them."
He also encourages his students to bring their art so that he can give them advice and critique it.
Savage also encourages any aspiring artists to recognize their talents and not get discouraged.
"Everyone has a talent," he said. "Not just me, not just somebody that does things with their hands. Everything's a talent, and that's what I try to explain to people."
People can view Savage's art all over Gentry at places such as the Gentry Public Library and The Wooden Spoon restaurant.
Savage teaches both adults and children. And his art classes aren't just painting but include wood carvings, stained glass art, ceramics and more. If someone would like to attend his classes, they can reach him at (479) 736-8263.
Cecil Savage looks at various prints of his artwork. Many have been featured in advertisements for products such as PepsiCo and Disney. (Special to NWA Democrat-Gazette/Daniel Bereznicki)
Cecil Savage displays a print of one of his original War Eagle Mill paintings. (Special to NWA Democrat-Gazette/Daniel Bereznicki)
Cecil Savage displays a print of a painting he made for a previous Arkansas secretary of state. (Special to NWA Democrat-Gazette/Daniel Bereznicki)
Cecil Savage displays a print of a painting he made for a previous Arkansas secretary of state. (Special to NWA Democrat-Gazette/Daniel Bereznicki)
Cecil Savage provides furnished work stations for his art students. (Special to NWA Democrat-Gazette/Daniel Bereznicki)