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About:
Artist Brian Russell
B.A., Studio
Art, cum laude, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN
Brian Russell
began his artistic endeavors in black and white photography
with a concentration on the human form until his introduction
to sculpture in 1981. Beginning in wood and stone carving,
Brian progressed from fabricating large freestanding
sculptures from scrap steel and industrial debris to making
furniture and other functional items.
After
mastering new techniques and materials, Russell began to
incorporate color into his work using fused glass and
volumetric shapes which created more sculptural pieces. His
visual vocabulary is derived from his travels, nature and the
human form. On a visit to New Zealand in 1999 Russell was
exposed to a lost wax glass casting technique that produced
exciting results and helped him to arrive at his current
location: a fusion of forged metals and cast glass unique to
his sculpture. The effect of the metal forgings, synergized
with the images presented by the vivid glass castings give
life to his sculptures. |
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Sculpture
is a vital element in our visual environment. The creation of
objects that exist in three dimensions whose purpose is to
stimulate reflection, meditation, awe and amusement is as
unique to humans as it is ancient. I create works that will
live harmoniously in the world as independent functionaries of
society. I draw inspiration from forms and rhythms in nature,
ancient artifacts, mathematics and science, distilling these
influences into abstract points of intersection. My aim on a
public scale is to involve the viewer, to interject into the
world points of beauty, interest and spontaneity. I want
people to use my sculpture as an excuse to mentally shift to
another level of consciousness, above the daily hubbub, even
for a moment, and to reconnect with themselves via that
primal, emotional, cortex-controlled spasm of an encounter
with an unexpected oasis in a visual desert.
On a
personal level creating sculpture is an endless connected
series of experiments. Technical matters drive visual
possibilities. Imaginings require research into materials and
techniques. The act of physically manipulating substances
informs the entire thought process. Knowledge of process
induces parameters and frees the mind. The daily work ethic
gives total responsibility over the outcome. The path is long
and winding and where it leads I will follow…
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