East Parents Featured at Plaza Art Fair

Tammy Smith developed a love for drawing as a young child. She would constantly sketch her surroundings, but mostly her objects were people. Eventually her love evolved from drawing to sculpting and finally to 3-D mixed media.

She passed this love to her son, junior Murphy Smith. Through their shared passion, both the artists thrived.

Tammy helped improve her son’s abilities from the minute he picked up a pencil. She aided in his drawing techniques to make his sketches look more realistic.

“She inspired me to do anything artistic,” Murphy said.

Like his mother, Murphy evolved in his artistic interests. He found his niche in the art form of steam punk.

“Picture a Tim Burton, turn-of-the-century mass based on the idea of steam power,” Tammy said.

Murphy’s projects have ranged from a pair of goggles to a bicycle.

“It’s fun for him,” Tammy said. “It’s what makes him unique. Everyone needs some form of self-expression.”

Now, Murphy helps his mother set up tents, art and decorations for the Plaza Art Fair. Just as she first helped develop his artistic skills, Murphy aids his mother in her pursuit of her passion. Together, their art grows.

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As a professional artist, Mike Savage must be flexible.

“I don’t always get to paint what I want,” Mike said. “However, I’ll paint the object my way, taking the client’s idea and running with it.”

Watching his father paint gives senior Chris Savage a strong appreciation for art, yet, Chris mixes with art like oil does with water. His passion is in other fields.

“I want to be either an astronaut or a theoretical physicist,” Chris said. “I may be going to space camp in Florida for a month this summer.”

According to his father, Chris possesses the ability to focus on that which intrigues him.

To Mike, Chris is a leader, always seeking to complete jobs by his own method.

“His passion is not in art,” Mike said. “But he is passionate. He is able to pick up new things, like electronic media, and just run with it.”

Though Chris favors science over art, Mike seeks to never squander his son’s passion, regardless of what that might be. He couldn’t care less that Chris does not share his love of art.

“He needs encouragement, not criticism,” Mike said. “I don’t want my opinion to get in the way of Chris doing things his way. He needs to go after what he loves, whatever that is.”

Just run with it.