Art has always been a part of Nick Savides’ life. As a child, he learned to paint from his mother. At Brandeis University, he studied under New York figurative painter Paul Georges, from whom he learned formal composition and painting techniques.
While his initial focus was on interior settings (influenced by Jan Vermeer), after he moved to New York in 1980, he turned to city scenes, painting people in the context of the streets.
Later, while living in Brooklyn, he drew new inspiration from his surroundings and painted scenes from Park Slope, Prospect Park, Coney Island, and the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Verrazano Bridges. He then broadened his focus to New England landscapes and national parks across the United States, before moving on to paint scenes from travels to Paris.
A grand retrospective of Savides’ work, “Reflections on Realism, Paintings from 1979-2012,” is currently being exhibited at Berkeley College’s gallery in Downtown Brooklyn. The show will be on display through April 27.
In describing his work, Savides says, “I find inspiration in the beauty of the world around me. The majority of my paintings depict the outdoors — landscapes, cityscapes and street scenes. These scenes often include people and animals, with the interaction very expressive, personal and subtle. Collectors say they see new things in the paintings over time.”
Savides’ work was featured at Berkeley College in April 2011. His oil on canvas, “Wall Street – Early Morning” took first place at the Berkeley College “Change in Brooklyn” art competition held at the Berkeley Gallery Brooklyn campus.
Savides’ work has appeared in many solo and group exhibitions around New York and the East Coast, including at the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, where he is a member.
For more information about the artist, visit www.nicksavides.com. The gallery, at 255 Duffield St., third floor, is open to the public Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
