Atlanta Artist Shares Residency Experiences, Opens New Exhibit

Atlanta artist and Savannah College of Art and Design professor Ron Saunders has completed several international residencies and just returned from one in Finland.

“Artist residencies are a place you can go to that don’t have the typical distractions. Because things are so different, that’s very inspiring. And that’s where a lot of the art is generated,” Saunders said in an interview with Lois Reitzes. “I think most artists really thrive on changes in their environment.”

In new places outside the normal routine, artist residencies stimulate new ideas. When Saunders did a residency in Detroit, for example, the bleak spring break weather inspired him to start painting on beach balls. He then captures the deflated yet colorful beach staples in photography.

Some of those images in additional to some of his other paintings with be on display in his upcoming exhibition “Feel Good Now!,” which he began doing in conjunction with artist Christopher Hall.

“Feel Good Now!” opens at the Kibbee Gallery in Atlanta this Saturday. There will be a reception from 6 to 10 p.m. The exhibit closes June 24.

The two artists have similar styles in terms of form and bright palette. Saunders said the emphatic message of the exhibition looks like a command but it could also be a question.

“It’s a question for everyone to contemplate how they address trying to feel better about their situation. Whether it’s their fear of the political climate or something more personal, they have to come up with their own set beliefs on how to deal with it,” he said. “We have to find other avenues to enjoy oneself in the present even if there are things we can’t control.”