theartmaker.com features works by American artist Frank Russell
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Frank Russell continues to amaze his collectors with uncanny skill & intuitive genius as one of the the south’s most prolific and popular makers of found object art. His choices of found objects, cast-off, manufactured and recycled materials must be seen to be believed! Every sea creature imaginable is delightfully executed. Sharks, hammerheads, crabs, horseshoe crabs, lobsters, jellyfish, bill fish, sea turtles, rays, eels, sea horses as well as every other fish you can name ... permanently assembled from ironing boards, musical instruments, tin roofs, cooking utensils, bowling pins, fruitcake tins, bicycle and automobile parts, chandeliers, sports equipment, almost anything metal.
Most are life-sized and quite accurate as to detail, profile and posture. |
Frank says the materials he uses are “reborn to be wild”.
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He calls himself an “Artmaker” and his 25 years as an artist (15 full time in the studio) have brought him awards galore, clients by the score and a growing reputation for unique, one-of-a-kind works of art that at once entertain and awe. His list of venues and collectors has grown from his local fame to national renown and a global following that includes folks in New Zealand, London, Paris and Maui, Hollywood celebrities as well as popular sports legends. Spend a few moments with any of his work and the reasons for his growing demand will become quite obvious.
Though many of the sculptures by this North Carolina artist are created to be representative of actual creatures from the deep , most are whimsical constructions of truly unexpected materials. Examples are several fish made from violins that have yo-yos for eyes and are called “YO YO MAHI” or a “TUNER FISH” whose scales are made from over 200 guitar tuning keys. A friendly-looking fish fellow made from a dozen old aluminum ice tray , named “TRAY BEN”? Or a sea bass sporting a flour sifter for a head called “TWISTED SIFTER”? The humor here is downright infectious. Frank is having great fun and it shows in his artwork ...
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" An installation of these fish-creatures by Frank Russell brings oohs of amazement and aahs of disbelief as realizations are made that these sweetly crafted and quite realistic works are made from vacuum cleaners, wheel barrows, saxophones, jello moulds and frying pans... each creating it’s own delirium,
it’s own alchemy, it’s own miracle.” |
CLICK HERE to see more of Frank's Fish Sculptures
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Frank Russell is a 52 year old painter of canvas for over 30 years, 15 years full time. Although well known for a tendency to work on/with found materials, his paintings are most often abstract and large (4'X 6') acrylic or m/m on canvas or wooden panel.
CLICK HERE to see Frank's Paintings |
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