M. Saffell Gardner

“My departure from representational painting toward abstract works began with history from pharaohs to ancient rulers and vessels of enslavement. I have submerged my thought into the primal elements creatively speaking. My work often transports me to my spiritual homeland, the African continent, the cradle of man. Painting makes me free in a primal manner. I create work in various media, painting, printmaking, drawing, collage and some digital work. I combine my background in architecture and cartography to inform my vision on shape, form and perspective. The focus of my work is to push the envelope of my subconscious. My current visual vocabulary merges everything from my past, even before primal to make fresher and fresher images, imbued with brilliant and muted hues. The artists who have influenced me in my painting career have been Sam Gilliam, Alma Thomas, and Alvin Loving.”

M. Saffell Gardner earned both BFA and MFA degrees in painting from Wayne State University. He has taught Black Art History & Computer Graphics at Marygrove College. He has exhibited in the Mid-West, New York, Jamaica, Brazil and in the Africa.  Gardner collectible  art exemplifies a voice in America that is elegantly urban, satiated with the beauty of Jazz and Classical Rhythms.  When you view his art you are witnessing a concert on canvas.