Excert from The Houston Chronicle : Article by Joy Sewing

The artist: Michael Savoie

Even the art on the walls has Houston ties.

“Empire” director Lee Daniels discovered Michael Savoie’s work before the show began filming. He had purchased his paintings for his own home.

Savoie, a native of Port Arthur who trained at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, had been working in Houston. (He recently moved to Dallas.)

When Daniels began shooting the pilot last year, he asked Savoie for two paintings for the episode. He has done several more works through the season.

“It’s amazing to be apart of the hottest thing on TV right now,” Savoie said. “I didn’t know what to expect. It’s been overwhelming.”

“Empire” showcases Savoie’s work in a grand way. His large portrait of Tianna (Serayah McNeil), a singer on the “Empire” label, dominates her apartment.

“I had to drop everything to get that one done,” he said. “It took me 36 hours straight, but everyone was happy.”

Savoie calls his work “abstract realism. It’s bright, vibrant with a Vogue feeling.”

Savoie will be back in Houston in May as the winner of the fifth annual Bombay Sapphire Artisans Series; he and music mogul Russell Simmons will unveil a mural in Midtown.

He is pleased “Empire” is generating interest in art.

“It’s gaining attention for art with people who never paid that much attention to it,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity for emerging artists.”

Michael Ray Charles, a Cullen Distinguished Professor of painting at the University of Houston’s School of Art, said the show’s artwork serves as a symbol of status, particularly for Lucious.

“Lucious is like no other character I’ve seen on TV,” Charles said. “He’s coming from a hip- hop culture in which he was working through the system and now he rivals the people he once worked for. And the art is an investment, a statement that if the game is life, he’s mastered it. We have guys like, Puffy, Jay Z and Russell Simmons doing the same thing.”

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