Randy Saffle

Artist Statement

I was born in a small town in Texas and grew up with screened doors, window air conditioners and horny toads. I learned to value my faith, family and a strong work ethic. My family never went on a vacation, and I was thirty-two before I ever visited another state. My father grew up in a cemetery and kept it mowed with a push mower. He knew how to use a switch when needed. My mother was the youngest of twelve children, picked cotton for a living and made do with limited means. Growing up, I valued my time not working and would get lost in my imagination, putting pencil to paper. These art skills eventually led to a job at a sign company and into an art director position. It's no surprise that I still live in Texas today, less than one hundred miles from my hometown. My pencil has been replaced with a paintbrush, but my subjects have remained the same. I paint what I know: rural Texas. I’m quickly becoming known for my rustic tractors and trucks, but my newer work is going beyond these subjects and into more of a "storyteller" mode. These places, these objects--each contain their own stories and invite the viewer to step into them, digging up their own memories.

 

Biography

Texas native Randy Saffle is an award-winning oil painter with a diverse artistic background. He is nearing thirty years working as an illustrator, designing everything from logos and signage to designing toys and illustrating children’s books and comics. But it is fine art and painting outdoors that he finds most exhilarating. A "painter's painter", Randy sees recognition for his work coming quickly, and he has won numerous awards and honors, including being juried into the prestigious Oil Painters of America 22nd National Exhibition of Traditional Oils. Randy has studied with several nationally-known artists, including John Budicin, Jill Carver, Rusty Jones and Kaye Franklin and is becoming an in-demand teacher and demo artist himself.

 

Selected Exhibitions & Awards

Oil Painters of America National Western Regional 2015

Plein Air Southwest Salon Award of Merit 2015

Plein Air Southwest Salon Honorable Mention 2014

Oil Painters of America National Juried Exhibition 2013

Oil Painters of America National Western Regional 2013

Plein Air Southwest Salon 2013 juried participant

Texas Neighbors 28th Annual Exhibition 2013

Grapevine Art Project Juried Exhibit "Top Honor" 2012

 

Affiliations

Oil Painters of America (O.P.A.) ~ Associate Member

Outdoor Painters Society ( O.P.S.) ~ Vice President and Signature Member