The Art of Chad Savage

 
A monster lies in wait in me,
A stew of wounds and misery.
But fiercer still, in life and limb,
The me that lies in wait in him!
--Clive Barker, attributed to Filmore Bell

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BIO

Chad Savage is one of those artists for whom it's "in the blood." His parents told him he was drawing before he could walk, and what he was drawing concerned them. Monstrous themes have always prevailed in his art; his mother once asked him why he couldn't draw something "happy" for a change. Little Chad shortly presented her with a drawing of a witch, ghost and vampire... all smiling.

There has been conjecture that Chad's disturbing imagery is due to the fact that he was raised Southern Baptist. That his parents were both dead by his 20th year. That his first year of college was in Los Angeles after growing up for 17 years in The South.

The simple fact is that he's always loved Halloween more than Christmas. ALWAYS. Artistically speaking, he didn't become the artist he is today. He always was the artist he is today. He just got better at it.

Chad has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in illustration and advertising art from the University of North Texas. These days, that and a buck-fifty will get you a cup of coffee.

He makes his living through his graphic and web design work through his long-standing website SinisterVisions.com and its several ancilliary projects. His alter ego is the infamous Zombo the Clown. Zombo loves you. Don't be frightened by the whole evil dead clown thing. No. Really. It's OK.

Chad currently lives and works in Chicago with his fabulous (and tolerant) wife Alex and lovely daughters.

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ARTIST'S STATEMENT

I was never afraid of the dark as a child. I was, however, often terrified of what might have been hiding in it. In my mind's eye I pictured strange and fantastic creatures, sometimes beautiful, often grotesque. At a very early age I began to try to capture the images in my mind on paper, and I've never stopped.

There is a place in this world for the bizarre. There is a time for the twisted. Anyone who doubts this needs only look at the success of such visionaries as H.R. Giger, Clive Barker, Michael Parkes or even Stephen King. It's no secret that the most conservative person, given the opportunity, will thrill to tales of the dark or the sight of blood.

To my thinking, things grotesque and sinister are not without their own unconventional beauty; the most hideous spider may spin the loveliest web. My work is an argument that 'dark' is not synonymous with 'evil'; that there is nothing to fear in the night if you make it your own. After all, there is no light without the dark to define it.

This is what I'm about.

This is what my art is about.

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Zombo loves me
This I know
For the dead clown
Tells me so

http://www.sinistervisions.com