TIM Saunders

Tim has lived in the Southern Appalachians his entire life besides a brief stint in Key West working as a mask maker. He moved to WNC in 97, pursuing a degree in philosophy and environmental studies.

"I've always felt like an artist at heart, though my rational mind has mostly inhibited my impulse to create." Nonetheless, he has indirectly followed a life dictated by beauty, creating gardens, making beautiful food and striving for a comfortable, colorful home.

"My art is a reflection of what I find dear: animals and plants, potent memories and emotions, ironic symbols and surprises in life." He tends to use whatever he finds as materials for his work--salvaged wood and paint, crayons, pastels, even paint brushes bought second-hand from rummage sales.

"It's always a surprise as to how and what a piece evolves into, as I hardly ever set out to paint a particular image. Sitting in front of a 'blank slate,' images emerge from shadows through the window or the wood grain, and before I know it, something has begun."