CHOICE OF WEAPON: OIL PAINT. Local artist Savannah Canavan's first solo show is currently showing at Forage in downtown Eau Claire through the month of February. (Photos of pieces in the show via Instagram)

Savannah Canavan’s first solo show, “Everywhere, Everything”, has filled downtown Eau Claire venue Forage’s walls since the beginning of February, but her journey with art began years ago before she even came to the Chippewa Valley.

Originally from the Marshfield area, Savannah discovered a pull toward creating at a young age, but it was during high school that a teacher encouraged her to run with her talent and passion.

“I went to Marshfield High School which has really, really good opportunities for art classes and opportunities compared to a lot of other schools, which is really awesome,” she recalled. “I had a teacher, Mr. Bergland, who went to Stout and recommended I go too and actually pursue art as an undergrad.”

After taking her high school teacher’s advice, Savannah graduated from UW-Stout with a bachelor’s degree in studio art and has had pieces exhibited in the Argyle Zebra Community Gallery in St. Paul, Minnesota, and sold work at local markets like the Wisconsin Maker’s Market and Eau Claire Maker’s Market.

Her choice of weapon while creating? Oil paint.

“I love the medium of oil paint. I tend to work a lot more with tactile, really visible brushstrokes and marks in my work, which oil paint is great for,” she explained. “I really like painting people, but I go in spurts of painting other things based on what I’m interested in, which is really anything that catches my attention.”

Savannah’s painting relishes in its intentional form and depth, stories told and emotions laid bare through brushstrokes that fold together beautifully. Her first solo show at Forage exhibits eight paintings, and as she described her style of painting, the title of the show made perfect sense.

“I gravitate towards anything and everything that I find interesting to look at; I want to create bright, colorful, bold paintings,” she said.

 

Though she’d planned on having an artist’s talk on Feb. 2 at Forage to open her show, she didn’t get the crowd she had hoped for, likely due to the frigid weather that gripped the area for a couple of weeks. However, she’s hopeful her name and work will continue to spread through word of mouth and her online presence, her commissions are now open.

Canavan is working a non-art related job while she’s working on her online portfolio and presence, entering shows and galleries to gain exposure, she hopes to be a full-time artist in time.

“Everywhere, Everything” will be available to view at Forage (403 S. Barstow St., Eau Claire) until the end of February 2023, and more of her work can be viewed on her social media.

Visit her Instagram (@savannahrose.studio) to keep up with her and her work or shoot her an email (savannahrosestudio@gmail.com) for inquiries or commissions. Stop into Forage (403 S. Barstow St., Eau Claire) before the end of February to see Savannah Canavan's first solo show in person.