10/04/2024
Artist Bio-
Savannah Rhea McCullough is both a performance and visual artist. This Nashville, Tennessean, learned painting, sculpting and drawing at her grandmother‘s knee. Often accompanying “Patty” to art lessons, Savannah was encouraged to listen and absorb everything she could. Sitting on studio floors throughout 90s Nashville, she did just that. The most valuable thing she learned was, “An artist paints in sadness AND in joy. She never stops painting.” She received a Silver Key from Cheekwood for both sculpture and painting in the early 2000s. Her first job was as an apprentice to a local fine artist. Savannah hopes to bring joy and healing to others through the miracle of motion, color, and sound.
Savannah‘s love for expression extends to acting and singing. Growing up all over Nashville, Savannah learned from instructors at the Blair School of Music, sang in choirs for 15 years, performed in many musicals, and at regular family gatherings. She graduated from high school in 2007, put down her paint brushes, and embarked on a pretty big journey.
Savannah’s many passions have brought her all over the country from New Orleans to Tucson, from Oregon to Florida, and beyond. She lived in New York City for five years as a working actor, training at The Freeman Studio. She worked as an actress and model in film, national commercials, and off-Broadway productions. Around 2015, She began to feel something else calling her away. Tennessee had instilled a deep love for all things that grow under the sun and the lure of grass in her toes couldn’t be held at bay for long.
Love for our bright planet and the need for a change in pace, brings our Savannah to Los Angeles. She began working with a Solar Industry startup company called Ovanova. This is when life got kind of complicated. Savannah used to put a lot of pressure on herself to just “pick a thing. One thing.” The multi-dimensionality of her being began to call louder than any “one” path. She hauled herself to Michael’s and grabbed a bunch of supplies so she could speak in the language of her childhood, Paint.
Savannah’s collection of Orb Paintings burst forth in 2016. Each orb has its own color pallet, a friendly nod to the multitude within. Savannah dreams of a world where ALL people have a seat, a full plate, a warm bed, and love to share. In fact, much of her subject matter is sourced from a rich dream-life. She believes this world (where all can have their needs met), begins within. She actively works to make peace with all the aspects of her being, in hopes this ripples out into whatever community she inhabits.
In 2017, Savannah came back home to Tennessee where she added “Wife” and “Mother,” to the top of her most cherished titles. She lives in Hendersonville with her husband and three children. Savannah is exploring homeschooling and learning how to be a better advocate and ally for her neurodiverse family. The dream of making a living as a full-time Artist has been eighteen years in the making. She has had the great privilege and joy to learn from many “Greats,” too many to list. She hopes to be counted among them.
Savannah Rhea McCullough’s Orb Collection can be currently viewed in the lobby of City Square Music and Books in Hendersonville, Tennessee. There you can find a good book, a cup of coffee, and settle into a trusty armchair while sweet tunes echo out from their rotating vinyl collection. Maybe you’ll even glimpse the artist herself, tumbling out of the parking lot with kids and books en tow.
Thank you for taking the time to get to know me and my work! Peace to you, friend. We’ll see ya.”
