September at Arts on Douglas August 09 2025
TRAJECTORIES
Tony Savoie
On Exhibit: September 6 - October 11, 2025
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 6, 4-7 PM
Artist Talk: Friday, September 12, 11 AM
Image ©Tony Savoie, Cone of Uncertainty, mixed media, 41 x 41 inches
About the Exhibition
Tony Savoie is a native Floridian based in Orlando. For this alt_space exhibition, he presents a new series of mixed-media abstractions that incorporate tactile layers built up using a range of unconventional materials, from fiberglass and roofing materials to found objects and personal papers, such as text from notebooks and journals.
Savoie elaborates: “These personal archives—filled with quotes from others, handwritten reflections, and plans to change the world and make beautiful things—have become more than references; they’re structural elements within the work. Found materials, whether salvaged wood or overlooked objects, anchor these abstractions adding weight and texture that speak to history and restoration. By deconstructing and recontextualizing these fragments, I tap into the ephemeral nature of memory and meaning. The abstraction blurs boundaries, inviting viewers to engage with gesture and texture as language in itself.”
Savoie’s process is labor intensive. He works fast and follows his instincts, combining industrial and natural materials in a delicate dance between construction and demolition. When each piece is complete, Savoie explains, “The end result is visceral and raw – art that doesn’t offer answers but asks questions. Humor and humanity are essential tools in this ongoing dialogue. I don’t believe art solves issues, but I do believe it helps reveal how we relate to them.”
About the Artist
Tony Savoie was born in Daytona Beach, Florida in 1965 and grew up in Winter Haven, a town defined by its chain of canal-linked lakes. Though naturally curious, he struggled in school—often disengaged and uninspired by traditional classroom settings. Over the years, Tony has explored a wide range of artistic and craft-based processes. While occasionally taught, he has mostly pursued a self-directed journey of discovery—patiently, or at times stubbornly, finding his own way. His creative evolution has included drawing, illustration, painting, photography, collage, boxed assemblage, cast resin with fiberglass, and metal welding. Text often plays a central role in his work, serving as a tool for exploring ideas and cultural tensions. Tony worked in commercial printing and various odd jobs before committing fully to his art practice in the early 2000s. He has exhibited at festival shows across the United States, received numerous awards, and has several works in permanent museum collections, including the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art in Virginia Beach, VA and the Ashley Gibson Barnet Museum of Art in Lakeland, FL.