A playful intensity hums in the art of Noah Saunders.  A seasoned wrestler in wire and metal, he renders the human form to suggest personality and to elicit surprise.  On canvas he pulls together shape and color into bold celebrations of the ordinary and otherwise overlooked. 

 

Noah commenced his artistic journey with the show “Wired for 96”.  The exhibit celebrated the athletic spirit of the summer Olympic Games in Atlanta.  Buoyed by his father‘s unyielding enthusiasm and his professionally informed support, this was an early success for an aspiring artist of only sixteen years of age. 

 

Noah got a bruising in high school; not unusual for a young man choosing to be open about his passions and honest about his sexuality – gay and resolute.  But he transmuted this social gauntlet into a serious show called “Steps to Safety”.  In part the show was a memorial to Matthew Shepard, the Wyoming college student who was murdered for how he loved.  In part the show was a measure of self-healing.

 

Noah’s family roots reach deep into Georgia soil forming a growing awareness of this region’s unique natural and cultural histories.  A particular interest in the American Indian legacy of the South Eastern United States has grown into a general fascination with Pre-Columbian civilizations and their rich artistic legacies.  These interests figure strongly in Noah’s wood fired ceramics. 

 

In the Spring of 2000 Noah initiated his, “Hey Man, Where Have you been?”  shows.  With his stepmother’s (an accomplished artist herself) encouragement these shows include Noah’s work in other media – from paintings and prints to pottery and jewelry.  As the show’s title suggest, an element of surprise attends. 

 

Today Noah lives with his partner Steven in Athens, Georgia.  They share their home with a rambunctious she-hound named Yonah.  With National Forests and lovely rivers nearby, they enjoy frequent excursions out on the land.  Fortified by this matrix of family, environment and community Noah aspires to render the artistic spirit in a playful purity of expression.