Rick Savage began his painting career late, after forays into such divergent fields as education, telecommunications, and music. Although always passionate about art, he resisted it as a career path because, in his own words, "the phrase starving artist is a cliche' for a reason. I find the starving part less appealing than you might think." Still, a growing demand for his unique portraiture and encouraging critical notice eventually convinced Savage to embrace art as his life's work. Today he is painting full time.

Although born in Texas and educated in Colorado, Savage shows little interest in western themes. "Western art doesn't really have anything to do with real life anymore, not even in Texas. I don't know why people see my address and expect windmills and horses. To me cattle are blurry animals that whiz past your car window, and when I think of  'Indians' I'm more likely to think of Gandhi than Geronimo. By the time I was born 'western' art wasn't local culture, it was retro pastiche". Instead, Savage concentrates on cubism, but cubism with  a distinctly post-modern flair. His themes range from purely classical (Water Nymph) to pop culture icons (Surfer), but always rendered with an intimacy and immediacy that give a human quality to even the broadest subjects.