Savonna Nicole Atkins (M.F.A., painting, 2015) is an Atlanta-based painter and mixed-media artist. Through abstract paintings, embroidered textile works and installations, Atkins explores self-concept and the necessity for connection. She weaves paint into compositions fueled by personal memories and imagined landscapes. Forceful marks, sheer washes and delicate embellishments intertwine and collect with persistent intensity. Born in Annapolis, Maryland, Atkins grew up attending Young People’s Studio classes at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland. Atkins later moved to North Carolina to attend the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where in 2011 she earned a B.A. in recreation therapy with minors in studio art and psychology. Atkins continued her art education in Atlanta, Georgia, where she earned an M.F.A. in painting from SCAD in Atlanta in 2015. Atkins has exhibited her work in Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, California and Hong Kong.