Carol Russell

Artist Bio Carol Russell is an eclectic, multidisplinary artist based in Coarsegold, CA. She creates unique, one of a kind artworks in a variety of mediums.

Carol comes from a long line of creatives, artists, inventors and engineers, drawing on their legacy of curiosity, passion and a predisposition to chart their own course. From an early age, she was guided by her mother, an amateur painter and avid art collector, to explore every artistic impulse and never sit with idle hands. As she grew, Carol received training from her aunt, a professional ceramicist. This experience taught her not only the mechanics and techniques of clay arts, but also color theory and the idea of building dimension in her work.

Growing as an artist, Carol experimented with and refined her creative skills with such diverse mediums as linoleum printing, leather working, paper making, textile design, doll/figurine making, silk painting, fluid painting, raku pottery, and jewelry making- including use of silver clay and dichroic glass. An early fascination with working in wax, from candle making to lost wax casting, as well as an interest and aptitude for Sumi-e gave her an exceptional foundation for her eventual mastery of batik. During this period, Carol exhibited and sold her work quite frequently, winning many Best of Show awards in the process.

After a brief artistic hiatus, in which Carol had been using her problem-solving mind and entrepreneurial spirit to establish and maintain a well-regarded retail establishment selling all manner of artworks, Carol received training from Serena Barton. This introduction to wabi-sabi and the use of oil paint with wax transformed Carol’s love of working in wax into an absolute passion for the encaustic artform. She has subsequently created encaustic artworks in all manner of applications, from highly dimensional and mixed-media focused, to sharply graphic and subtly layered.

Furthering her knowledge base in the artform and refining her skillset with training from such artists as Theresa Stirling and Alicia Tormey, Carol continued to lead with her intuition and narrow her focus. Her current work is a reflection of her love of natural elements and movement, with an eye toward experimentation and freedom of expression.

Preferred Media: ceramics, fiber, jewelry, mixedmedia, painting, pastel, sculpture, sketch, other