Kevin Russell
Mixed Media Artist
Artist Bio
Born to a furniture designer father and artist mother earning her BFA, Kevin Russell was tagging along to college art classes at age seven—painting, sketching, and even throwing clay. Then, as now, his tastes leaned toward the tactile; the stones, bark, and other textured organic materials he collected for his beloved shadow boxes inspired his future mixed media artwork featuring cutouts and inlays, all with stained wood and resin pours laid over high-density foam for easier hanging.
After college, the Michigan native took a five-week motorcycle trip across country to Arizona and, finding the desert an eternal source of textured treasures, traded his snow shovel for sunblock. Kevin currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with his wife and three cats.
Artist Statement
On my many childhood hiking and camping trips, I collected colorful pebbles, scraps of bark, and other found treasures for my shadowboxes—my way of taking nature home with me. As a mixed media sculpture artist, I start with the treasures and work my way up. Using wood laid over high-density foam, I frame pieces of gemstone, copper, clay, handmade paper, and upcycled materials in dedicated windows, then treat the wood itself with various stains, mica powders, charcoal, resin pours, along with gold, copper, and silver leaf. Creating fine art out of organic materials brings nature home for everyone and reminds us that treasures are everywhere.