I’m looking at the faces of the people in your portraits. Wow! Russel, you don’t just paint very well. You capture emotion and intent, apathy and anger, disinterest and wonder. And love too. That’s not something a copyist can typically do. You see souls. Copying the work of your sister didn’t negate your talent.

Technically, you are incredibly painterly and robust. I like the fact that you paint across several sheets of paper or canvas. Those images spill off the pages, and you don’t limit them. You just add more space to express what you want — completely. Very cool! You don’t shrink the paintings down, you don’t limit yourself, you don’t subordinate your vision to what you’re given. You take what you need. That’s pretty darned powerful.

Please don’t take this statement wrong: if you were unfairly tried and have been innocent of charges, you should not be incarcerated. And it’s a hellish place to be. But…If you get nothing else from that system, you’ve been given a place where you have no choice but to focus on WHO you are. And you make that something that teaches rather than something that diminishes you or others. The Sally sunshine in me says “Oh my! You’d never have a career in art otherwise”. The fighter and artist in me tells me that you are a deeply intuitive representational artist that is really wringing out his environment to tell the truth about what exists and is reflected in the eyes of others.

That’s nothing that can be taught, my friend.

Yes, by all means seek out mentors who will encourage your artistic expression, written, painted or combined. Protect your vision, however! Don’t dumb things down for commercial success. Tell the truth about whomever or what ever you paint. Keep painting on expanded groups of sheets of paper — get bigger…keep sharing with this group and others. Speak loudly!

It looks as if you have a great resource of advocates here, both for your painting and your essays. If you’re allowed, if you can stand to part with them, and if you want to sell your work, please be certain to develop a portfolio for yourself, even including short videos of yourself painting, and investigate protecting your rights to your art work legally, so no one can steal your voice. If you sell anything, retain the right to borrow back the work for the sake of exhibitions. You’ll need that portfolio — maintain it. You will be asked to collaborate on projects. Make sure the vision you project in collaborative work is not diluted by the vision of others. Fight for that.

Time to think ahead, trust your gut…

Great warriors do.

Keep up the fantastic work!

Barb