Interview with Richard Savage

Tell us a little about yourself

My name is Richard Savage, I am an Artist and writer form Cambridgeshire in the England. My art background is in illustration fine art and technical drawing. I work mainly in acrylics, but am also happy working in oils, pastels, line and wash, watercolour and mixed media. I draw inspiration from classical art, and the styles of the contemporary artists Boris Vallejo and Jack Vettriano.

My current projects are concentrating on figurative art, for illustrations and book covers. I am working currently for four American publishing houses. I also undertake private commissions and consider most professional work. I have never shied away from provocative topics that include: fetish, BDSM, D/s, gothic, gay, lesbian, fantasy. And this also reflects in my writing.

What do you write?

I started with children’s stories, but I never really had any success with that. The topic that grabbed me, was the erotic, I have always been fascinated by what makes people tick. I like to get right into the characters and hopefully make them come alive emotionally. So my stories are usually erotically charged with what I hope are characters the reader will be able to relate to. A lot of my art explores the subject of power exchange and I guess in writing I take the exploration one step further, looking to delve into the nature of domination and submission. The whole subject seems natural to me. I see it portrayed in the media as a negative and scary thing, but my experience, with people I have known over the years, has shown that lifestyle to be a caring and loving one. In my writing, I hope that I capture something of the beauty of that way life and something of the normality of it.

Why do you write?

Why not? Being creative is what I do, either in writing or with art. Why do we eat and drink?


What are you writing now?

I have two stories on the go, at the moment. The first is a follow up story to the one I wrote for Black Velvet Seductions. It was “The Anniversary” in the anthology “The Crimson Z.” The new story "Temporally Yours" concerns a couple with busy lives and their struggle to get the time they needed, to commit to a loving D/s relationship. The second story I am working on is called "The Trainer." It is about a couple who fell in love, but took love for granted. It takes the help of "the trainer" to set them back on the path to true happiness.

What kind of clothes do you like to wear?

The right clothes for the right occasion. I am happy in a suit. At a black tie function, a tux. Working in the garden, jeans. When writing or creating art work I look for comfortable clothes, something loose fitting.

Do you have a dream lover – and what does she look like?

Well I fantasize, the same as everyone else, the woman in my mind can shift, she takes on the characteristics of the characters I am working on but has no form as such. I am less worried about the physical in fantasy. Personalities are much more important than physical appearance. The erotic comes from within. Not the physical.

What kind of comfort food do you like best?

Most things chocolate. I do like old traditional English dishes, both sweet and savoury. Favourites include “toad in the hole” Cornish pasties, treacle sponge. I will give you the recipes if you want to try them.

What makes you laugh? Cry?

A lot makes me laugh. I do like topical humour, I like old gags. But most things amuse me. I find humour in most things. For crying, that is something I didn’t do since childhood, typical repressed Englishman, but I had the emotional lid taken off last year when my father died, and I have been trying to get that lid back on for the past year.

What do you do to amuse yourself when not working?
Not working?? What is that? I work about 80 - 100 hours a week and have done for the past 20 years. For amusement that is my work, I love what I do, would spend more time doing it if I could. Hobbies away from work? I am fond of my cat and my Bonsai trees.

What is it in a man or woman that turns you on? The clean version please!

I like creative people who have a willingness to explore.

What do you hate about life?

I love life on the whole and I don’t have much time for hate. I do get irritated so here are my top 5 irritations.

1. Not enough time
2. Being hassled
3. Being interrupted
4. Impossible deadlines, causing me to work through the night (never missed a deadline to date)
5. Not enough time

What do you hope to achieve in life and when will you know that you have been a success?

What a question. Made me laugh out loud, sorry. Success how can you ever measure it? Success is measured by others really. To say I want to be a success implies a finish line. I have difficulty thinking in those terms. I want to be the best writer I can be and the best artist I can be. The only person I compete against is me. I try hard and I consider I work hard. This question will amuse my friend and publisher from Black Velvet Seductions, Laurie Sanders. We have joked about success in terms of us buying Ferraris, but it is just a joke, a metaphor for being financially buoyant enough to be able to waste money on something we don’t need.

What are you going to write next?

Well the next one to be finished is the story I mentioned, “The Trainer”. After that I have some ideas for another story or two. I usually have more ideas than I have time to work on them.

Thank you for inviting me to chat, it has been a pleasure.

Richard Savage






Publications

First published story “The Anniversary” in the anthology “The Crimson Z”, Black Velvet Seductions, publication date November 2006

Short story “The Key” Black Velvet Seductions, publication date February 2007

Short story “Temporally Yours” in the anthology “The Crimson Z two”, Black Velvet Seductions, publication date October 2007

First published Novel “The Trainer” Black Velvet Seductions, publication date winter 2007

Featured artist in “Jade” Magazine March – April 2007

Illustration published in Spiritual Transformation through BDSM; Stories and Submissions from Fellow Travelers
Edited by Sensuous Sadie June 2007


Organisations

Member of “The Guild of Erotic Artists”

Member of the SAA as a pro Member of the Society of All Artists
The British Museum of Erotic Art
http://www.britishmuseumoferoticart.com/savagerichard.html
Founding member of the “Fenland Visual Arts Collective” chair 2005-6
Member “Fenland Arts” Exec committee 2005-6

Past and current exhibitions

The Museum of Contemporary Art, Washington DC March—May 2005
Cambridge Open Studio Exhibition at Palace House, Newmarket June 18th - 23rd 2005
Cambridge Open Studio Solo Exhibition Savage Studio Chatteris July 2nd -3rd 2005
9th – 10th 16th – 17th 23rd – 24th 2005
Solo exhibition March Town Hall October 5th -19th 2005
Fenland Visual Arts collective Open Studios, September 2006
“100% pure” The Glass Box, Coventry September 2006
“The Expo” Skin Two, The Barbican Centre London, 0ctober 7th & 8th 2006
“Amora” - The London Academy of Sex and Relationships” 13 Coventry Street W1D 7DH www.amoralondon.com April 4th - August 30, 2007




Some examples can be seen at
http://www.swage.plus.com/art/illustrations/books/books_index.html

www.swage.net

Black Velvet Seductions http://www.blackvelvetseductions.com/