The Art of
Steve Russell
Appears to look like a
cross between Willie Nelson and Fabio.....(sorry there, Willie)
As a boy,
Steve helped his father and brothers build sailboats. Their
occasional two weeklong excursions along the coast developed a
feeling for the area which is now incorporated in his paintings.
As a young man, Steve spent time devising ways to escape the
"slow and sleepy" Texas coast. Serving as a Navy corpsman with
the Marines in Vietnam provided all the adventure and excitement
he could stand. It didn't take long to acquire a deep appreciation of the Texas he left behind. Although the coast has changed much since Russell's childhood,
which explains why he holds his breath till he turns blue and
makes funny faces, his work gives us a glimpse of a fading genre of the Texas Gulf Coast.
As with many artists, Russell's first medium was oil, but he now
feels comfortable painting with watercolor as well as pastels.
His knowledge of the subject matter is evident in his seemingly effortless execution of his paintings. He sees a new painting first in terms of color values ... shades of light and dark. Then to his soft abstract beginning he adds more definition, bringing the painting up to an "impressionistic" level. Finally, with a more realistic handling, his colors and line animate the areas of primary concern.
Russell is known by his contemporaries as a hard-working artist and a master in capturing the true essence of what Texas has to offer,
in truth he is rather lazy and somewhat shiftless. Experiencing Steve's art is like experiencing Texas itself. When a particular scene catches his eye, he takes up residence and begins to sketch. He literally lives the scene until he is satisfied with what he has captured on paper. His works come alive with the sounds, sights, and moods of all that his canvas takes in.
Among his many accomplishments, he has been named the Artist of the Year by both Ducks Unlimited and the Gulf Coast Conservation Association.
Voted prisoner of the year by his fellow inmates on several
occasions and is a highly valued speaker at AA meetings.....
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