By Vanessa Lantos Daly (Spicy Melon)
April 21, 2025 – Much of the beauty of Savannah resides in its local businesses—the ones who live and feel this city every morning before the sun even comes up. The ones who’ve let the canopy of trees arching over main streets nurture their souls and dreams. The ones who’ve survived a city that now feels like it’s in a never-ending phase of hotel construction, with high rents creeping farther south from River Street.
It’s vital to remember that much of Savannah’s beauty lies in its preserved nature, its one-of-a-kind local businesses, its artists and musicians, and the locals who continue to show up for each other. The kind of beauty that can’t be built or manufactured overnight.
I forget this sometimes myself—often numb and overwhelmed by the flow of visitors while working downtown in the service industry. But visiting Eric David Wooddell at his Cedar House Studio, even for just a few minutes, reminded me of the treasures we still have here.
Eric first moved to Savannah in 1997 and leased an art studio on the top floor of City Market in 2007. After many years soaking in the city, he left in 2011 to travel and explore the world, living and working in various cities—sometimes for six months, sometimes for a year.
In 2020, he returned to Savannah, now with his art and work primarily housed in an attic studio inside Cedar House Gallery, located at 122 East 36th Street.
Comparing City Market to Cedar House, Eric reflects on the beauty and benefits of each: City Market enjoys a constant flow of visitors, which can be both a blessing and a curse for a focused artist.
“At first it was a bit of a distraction. I had to learn how to work while talking to people, which was a big step for me. I could choose to keep getting distracted and frustrated, or I could just go with it—which is what I decided to do,” Eric shares.
That balance is especially important for Eric, since his process blends painting and collage. Here he shares a short video showing the early stages of creating one of his collage paintings.
He reflects on having a full-time studio in Cedar House Gallery for over four years now: “So glad I did it, because it is a focus spot for my artwork—separate from everything else I do and where I live. I also work as a figure drawing model, which I first did 20 years ago.”
Being a nude model for drawing, painting, and sculpture classes is a skill all on its own. Forget the nude part for a minute—just having the self-discipline to hold a pose for 20 minutes or more in an age of constant digital distractions is something pretty remarkable.
“Once or twice, I’ve brought a book and modeled pretending to read it (while actually reading it), so it’s easy to maintain the position—except when I turn the pages. But normally, I simply take myself there. I never listen to music or wear headphones, since I feel it’s important to take in the energy of the room, find out what the professor is looking for, and be as present as I can.”
As someone who’s always busy, he genuinely appreciates getting to class and enjoying a moment of calm. Eric is a glass-half-full kind of person, through and through. His language constantly reflects gratitude for the opportunities around him and everything he chooses to be part of. He says things like “I get to” instead of “I have to,” and most powerfully: “Thriving as an artist vs. surviving as an artist.” Such an immense little thing.
And that’s the thing about Eric—he’s a full-time creative. Collage painter, art class model, sometimes a DJ. No side jobs to float the art dream. No classic paycheck safety net.
This, let me tell you, is not for the faint of heart. When I grow up, I aspire to believe in myself the way Eric believes in himself and his work—to trust the universe and my local community with my well-being.
Eric admits it hasn’t always been this way: “About a year ago, I took a job at a warehouse with flexible hours, which was great, and the pay was great too. But it came to a point where it didn’t feel like it was a good thing to do anymore, and letting go of that was hard. Financial prosperity isn’t a linear process—there are ups and downs—but looking at the big picture, more and more I feel like I’m living as a full-time artist. I worked really hard at it for a long time.”
I didn’t understand it at first. But then he started sharing little bits of magic—like how, up close, the creases in his art are painted with moonlight.
Let me pause the poetic stuff for a sec and explain: Eric uses newspapers, documents, and books—sometimes over a hundred years old. Original materials, often gifted or discarded by others. Every piece is hand-ripped and follows a natural flow.
No scissors. Ever. He mixes in geometric elements to balance order with chaos. The sentences that emerge—ripped by hand and assembled without planning—are not just one-of-a-kind. The meanings behind them often feel… profound.
This process forms the composite background of most of Eric’s paintings, often portraying geometric elements. Getting lost in the layers—reading the paintings and following their path—becomes a whole experience in itself for the viewer.
“I lay the words out on a table, organize them by font and size, and then put them back in a different order. So I don’t necessarily know how they’re going to go. It’s not completely random, but it’s not planned either. It’s somewhere in between. What ends up happening is that some sentences are continuous, so I glue them in circles or geometric shapes. Sometimes I look later and am surprised at what I see.”
Each piece is truly and genuinely one of a kind—not just the finished artwork, but the vintage papers and documents that went into making it.
Pure magic.
The end result is complex and breathtaking.
“Every time I create a piece, at some point, I know it’s going to sell. I know that in my heart. It will find the right person. Sometimes it stays with me for a long time, but eventually, it goes. Sometimes it goes right away.”
Curious and intrigued, I asked Eric how he gets his hands on such one-of-a-kind vintage literature.
“This is one of my favorite questions. I think they look hard to find, because some of these papers are over a hundred years old. So yes, I’m often working with very old paper. I always keep an eye out—I find them at yard sales or go on eBay and buy old used books. I actually prefer them to be almost dilapidated—it gives them more character. Plus, a damaged copy might cost $5 instead of $200. But where most of my stuff really comes from is people. Visitors to the studio will ask, ‘Where do you get all this stuff?’ and after I tell them, they’ll go, ‘Well, actually, I have a box in my attic with old books and papers… is it okay if I give it to you?’ That happens a lot. And I always accept everything with so much gratitude. Most of these documents and papers find me.”
Right now, Eric is working on a collection of larger pieces shaped like Tarot cards, and “going deeper with the words.” He shares, “I’ve been doing this for at least a year now—taking words from some of my favorite books. In this case, the book is Be Here Now by Ram Dass.”
Eric offered one final thought, specifically for anyone who doesn’t know him or his art:
“I love the energy that people bring to the studio. My artwork consists of collage and painting using vintage newspapers, books, maps, and comics—creating one-of-a-kind pieces. I welcome visitors to come and connect with the pieces. You might come and find something you don’t expect.”
I’m really excited to see what’s next and what new pieces Eric brings into the world. I highly recommend visiting his studio—you’ll soak in a bit of the magic that surrounds his work.
Maybe even give yourself the chance to leave the studio marveled, like I did.
Love always,
Vanessa
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