Artist Spotlight: Anika Savage and Arturo Samaniego
Presenting Anika Savage and Arturo Samaniego, in this week’s Artist Spotlight from the Naples Art District! These member artists are being featured to highlight their art and share about who they are as artists.
Anika is a creator of beautiful paintings, mixed media/collage pieces, and ceramics; and Arturo is known for his paintings, mixed media/collage work, drawings, and pastels.
Anika Savage has been a professional artist since 2005. Before that, she had two other careers. “I am an architect—one of the few disciplines that requires continually intersecting use of both right and left brain thinking,” she says. “Working as a Corporate Architect for a fast-growing technology company, I decided to learn something about the dynamics of the business environment” which led her to earn an MBA to add to her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture. Anika states further that, as a Corporate Strategist, “I have developed an expertise in two future-oriented techniques, scenario planning, and systems thinking. My work combining these two powerful tools to explore the future of an organization or a social system was widely published in professional journals and books. Then, I got to do what I wanted to do all along: fine art. I had always been drawing, painting, sewing, doing pottery and stained glass, etc.” Anika was drawn to acrylics after working in watercolors and oils. She also creates pottery “in porcelain as thin as possible.” Anika’s work has been influenced by an appreciation for various artists in each phase of what she calls her “artistic journey;” these artists include Vincent Van Gogh, Willem deKooning, Joan Mitchell, Brenda Belfield, and Carlos Ramirez. If you don’t find Anika in her working studio in the Naples Art District, you might see her biking, swimming, or practicing yoga.
Arturo Samaniego became a professional artist at age 40 when he decided to follow his lifelong calling to create. Born in Mexico, Arturo began drawing and painting in his youth, and eventually attended The University of Texas where he obtained degrees in Computer Science and Fine Art. He entered the business world and pursued art only as a hobby for years until he made the transition from businessman to professional artist. He has described his artistic style as “a blend of realism, minimalist cool and contemporary edge,” and said that in his work, he combines “the beauty of the human form with the emotion-evoking quality of gesture. The figure is executed in the classical, old master style, symbolizing the objective. Around these figures the environment is abstract and nebulous, representing the emotional and internal.” When Arturo is not working or teaching in his studio/gallery in the Naples Art District, you might find him at his second gallery where the focus is on his contemporary artwork.
The Naples Art District (NAD) is a place for professional artists like Anika and Arturo to share their art and artistic process in studios and galleries that are open to the public. NAD boasts the largest concentration of working artists in Southwest Florida, creating and exhibiting their works of art. NAD artists also offer educational opportunities and NAD hosts special events for art lovers. The Artist Spotlight! series provides an opportunity for NAD artists to connect with people and inspire them through their creativity. NAD publishes a calendar of events, classes, and workshops offered by member artists; it can be found online by anyone interested in meeting and learning more from artists of the District. Contact the Naples Art District online or by phone at 239-249-1977 for more information.
Anika Savage
Artisan’s Plaza, Studio 22
5760 Shirley Street, Unit 22, Naples, FL
Jan 18, 2021 – Jan 22, 2021
Arturo Samaniego
Samaniego Art
2220 J & C Blvd, Unit 6, Naples, FL
Jan 18, 2021 – Jan 22, 2021