Saige Runyan is a watercolor artist based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

I grew up in Johnstown: a small post-industrial steel city in western Pennsylvania. I graduated Penn State in 2021 with a Bachelor of Architecture, along with a dual minor in Art and Philosophy. I have also been a practicing hedge witch and tarot reader since I was 13 years old, which has been a driving influence in my work.

To me, a hedge witch is a person who exists at the interface between humanity and nature, with one foot in the known and one foot in the unknown. Traditionally, a hedge witch was a wise man or woman who lived outside of the village at the edge of the forest. The "hedge" refers to the boundary between the forest and the village. Their closer connection with nature would give them access to knowledge not many others would have. The hedge witch would be consulted on a plethora of issues. They may have given herbal remedies or spiritual advice.

As a modern-day hedge witch, my art also serves as a bridge across this same liminal space. My creative process begins "out there"— whether that be in the woods or in the depths of my own subconscious. Often when I am seeking inspiration, I use meditation techniques to quiet my mind and open myself to receiving. The trick is not to apply meaning to that which I receive, but just allow it to come through.

Then begins the journey back. The task at hand is to transform that raw "download" into something tangible, like an alchemist making gold out of lead. I'm drawing something back over the hedge and into the village. This is where my background in design comes in handy! I believe that good art should be both meaningful and beautiful.

My theory is that by channeling these "downloads" into my work, the resulting images contain an Iridescent Significance, where a unique and ineffable meaning is created from the interaction between the work itself and the observer's own conscious experience of it. In other words, the meaning shifts depending on the angle it's looked at from.

In any case, that's the goal! But the truth is that the more I learn, the more I realize I don't know. I practice. I study. I evolve. I make bad art. Every once in a while, I make good art.(I hope!) At the end of the day, like any hedge witch, I am a disciple of Nature. And if she's taught me anything, it's this:

The only constant is change. You may either grow, or decay.

P.S. Thank you for taking the time to read my rambles! If you want to come along on this weird journey with me, feel free to follow me and subscribe. I hope to see you around.