My lifelong passion and the subject of my artwork has been New England’s diverse landscapes, including:
• “Shack Time,” a video documentary about the fragile dune shacks in the Cape Cod dunes, chosen for the 2001 New England Film and Video Festival;
• Agriculture and apples, including two books, “America’s Apple” (2012) and “Apples of New England” (2014);
• The award-winning magazine “New England Watershed: A Journal of Arts, Culture, and Ideas” (2005-2007) extolls the landscape and connects the diverse communities along the length of the Connecticut River, from the Canadian border to Long Island Sound.
• The books “Living Without Lawn: Rethinking the Front Yard” (2016) and “Feeling the Heat: Temperature and Time Sensitive” (2016), which address issues of climate change and empowering the individual through increased awareness and action.
My abstract realist paintings explore our relationship to the natural world, inspired by my rural roots and work as a gardener and athlete (including backpacking hundreds of miles on the Appalachian Trail and hiking throughout New England). I draw attention to nature’s brilliance and complexity through imaginative color and unusual shapes and juxtapositions.
I aim to encourage people to embrace the outdoors, cultivate their physical senses, and heighten their powers of observation. By engaging more closely with nature, I hope to inspire greater empathy for all living things and develop a deeper appreciation of our mutual dependence and vulnerability.
I wish my paintings are sources of joy, hope, and a source for optimism as we seek to meet our generational challenges.
Ways to contact the artist
Websites: www.russellpowellart.com
russellpowell.net
Instagram: @russellstevenpowell
Facebook: Russell Steven Powell
Email the artist
Studio Location: Holyoke, MA
