Daily Inspiration: Meet Chie Russell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chie Russell

Chie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve been always into art since I was younger, however, I didn’t realize how much I liked art until I grew up. I grew up in Japan, and in my country, we have art classes in all public schools. I didn’t actually like art classes when I was younger because I was not very good at drawing. I always had many good ideas or designs in my head, but I was sad that I couldn’t put the image in my head to paper.

One day, an art teacher of mine said “your ideas are always so good, but it’s a shame that you cannot get it out”. That was heart breaking. I stopped trying to get better and thinking about art.

When I was 24, I lived in Spain for two years. I loved visiting museums and seeing the historical architecture. I was so happy to feel the art just walking through the streets. I realized that I really loved art again, I wanted to study art or design after I came back to Japan, but I couldn’t decide on it because I was so hesitant about having drawing classes again.

After that, I got married with my husband, who also loves art, and we moved to the US. When our first son was in his preschool, he had a chance to take an art class as an after-school program. I signed him up and one day, he brought home a small bottle with a beautiful sand design in it. When I saw it, I was so impressed of his art. I had never seen that kind of art. It was so beautiful, gentle and unique. His teacher told me that it was called “Sand Art” and her daughter would have workshops soon. I signed up immediately for the workshops. At that time, she and the Japanese group who brought the technique from Vietnam were trying to establish a Sand Art association in the US, so they gave us free workshops to introduce this new art. I learned the basic technique from them and after that I’ve been practicing very hard on my own for the past 5 years. After they closed down the association, I still continued to practice to improve my skill. I’ve been very happy to finally be able to express my art sense.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Sand Art is not so common like other forms of painting, so I have to figure things out on my own when I have difficulties. Many people don’t understand what sand art is and how to make it. Because making a portrait takes a very long time, I cannot sell my art at too low of a cost, but sometimes it’s difficult for people understand that.

Also, I’m using very fine powdered sand, and I need a special style glass frame which I cannot buy from art supply shops. I import sand and a number of glass frames from overseas, but I make some of the glass frames myself as well.

Not only the technique, but I have to find, create and figure out the tools myself because it’s not a common art form yet. I don’t use glue during the process, but I do use a special glue for sealing the top of finished projects. I had to do many tests to find the best glue for my art pieces and figure out how to use it. It’s sometimes a little challenging, but it’s also fun.

Many people wonder if the portraits last forever because they’re made out of sand. People ask me how I ship them, and if the portraits would collapse easily. Because of that, people hesitate to purchase them, but I always make sure to pack the sand very well during the process and seal them with the special glue that I tested many times. I’ve sent various portraits around the country without any issues, but I also give my customers a 100 % quality guarantee. If something happens to the products, I’ll remake them at no cost.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As an animal lover, I really love making animal portraits out of sand. Making their fur is sometimes very challenging, but it’s really fun. Unlike drawing or painting, I cannot go back to erase mistakes easily, so I have to make sure everything is right before moving forward. I always have to think how the sand will move and how I need to move the bamboo stick. It’s always a fight against gravity.

A facial expression can change even if one grain moves, so I really have to be careful how to move the bamboo stick and keep gravity in mind all the time. Although it’s one of the most difficult parts, making animals’ eyes are the best moment for me. The moment I can see the life in my portraits is a thrill.

Up until last year, I was participating in various craft shows, but this year, I have decided to change my path to participating in art shows. I learned a lot about drawing from other media and I’ve been trying to change my style a little bit for entering into art shows. I still have to prepare more pieces, but hopefully I can show my art at art shows sometime soon.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
My dream is to be a known sand artist. I want more people know this beautiful and therapeutic art that has a different texture and quality from painting.

On the other hand, I have a 9 and 6-year-old kids and a full time job outside of Sand Art, so I’m always really busy and people often ask me how do I manage the time. I use the 24 hours I have for being a full-time mother, wife, employee and for myself. Yes, family is the most important thing for me, but I don’t want to give up my dream and being myself, even though I’m busy.

My mother was the same way. She’s a stained glass artist, and had a full time job when I was younger, but she was making time for herself somehow. Even if it means waking up an hour, or even just 30 minutes earlier to make time for myself, it is really important to me. When I’m on “mom” time, I’m thinking about my kids 100%, but I don’t want to think that I need to give up everything if I have younger kids.

I’m not sure how long it will take to accomplish my dream, but I don’t have to rush, I don’t care how long it will take. The important thing is that I never give up. Even if it takes 3 times as long as a full-time artist, I won’t give up my journey and I believe that is the most important thing.

Lastly, I really appreciate my family who understand and support my dream. I couldn’t continue without their support.

Pricing:

• Custom Sand Portrait 4×6” $200
• Custom Sand Portrait 6×8” Frame $400
• Custom Sand Portrait 8×10” Desktop $450
• Custom Sand Portrait 8×10” Desktop Double heads $750
• Custom Sand Portrait 9×11” Desktop Double heads $980

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sanddevotion.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sanddevotion
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sanddevotion
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sanddevotion
• Other: https://tiktok.com/@sanddevotion