Check Out Mari Russell’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mari Russell

Hi Mari, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
As a child who was always elbow deep in craft paint and glitter glue, it’s hard to pinpoint where I started. I always loved making things. In college I took art classes while I figured out my career and ended up with a BFA in Painting and Printmaking. Just before graduating, I landed a two person show and representation at a gallery in Morristown New Jersey, and shortly after was accepted to an artist residency and spent three months painting in Spain.

When I moved back to my hometown of Appleton Wisconsin, I opened a print shop – Amano Print House – and split time between my painting practice and building my shop into a successful business and a community space for visual artists and musicians (we had live shows in the studio.)

I loved what we built in Appleton, but longed to be a part of a larger network of creatives and so, in 2022 I sold the shop and moved to Highland Park to focus on my painting and meet other likeminded people who grew up covered in glitter glue.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, I wouldn’t say it’s always been smooth. I love Wisconsin, but I built community there because I didn’t feel like there would be a supportive place for me to make work if I didn’t establish it myself. Growing up, the culture around me considered art a cute thing that people did as a hobby, but for me it was who I was. Not just an interest I was passionate about, but the way I made sense of and interacted with the world. There was a lot of reluctance in my early career because for as naturally as making art came to me I struggled with whether or not this was a worthy way to spend my time and money.

To me painting is an act of exploration and inquiry. I want to tap into my intuition and to make work that is coming from an unplanned subconscious place. This can be a hard thing to hold onto when you are trying to prove that your career choice was a smart one or make work that you think will sell. So one of the big challenges is staying focused on the motivators that make me feel inspired and authentic. But, that being said, if anyone wants to give me heaps of money, be my guest.

In a way, I am grateful that this life can be so uncertain. I took me a long time, but I have learned to accept that challenges come. The more I embrace the ups and downs of this process, the more I feel proud of the work I am making and the person I am becoming.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a painter and color is my specialty. All of my work is abstracted but some is autobiographical, other pieces are observational (I keep a visual journal and many works are drawn from there) and in other pieces I go in blind and let the work develop intuitively. Honestly, I often start with a plan but the best work seems to happen when the piece leaves what I had laid out far behind.

If there is a through line in my work it is sitting in the unknown, allowing the “answers” to reveal themselves and staying in the mindset of a channel as opposed to pushing for a result. I want my paintings to hold both the vastness and minutiae of the human experience.

As far as what sets me apart from others goes, I think trying to be “original” can be limiting. If you are focused on doing something that has never been done before are you really making the work that is true to you? I think we need less innovation and more authenticity.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I think the best way to approach networking is to connect with the people whose work and way of being makes you feel inspired. I’m much more interested in building community than finding people who can advance my career and that has worked well for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.marianayrussell.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marianayrussell

Image Credits
Justus Poehls, Alex Simpson, Kelsie Walling