J Russell is an impressionist painter expressing contemporary life in vivid color with broad and bold brush strokes. His love and appreciation for life is expressed in vibrant, daring and thought-provoking canvases.
J Russell studied art and design at San Jose State University and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Design from SJSU. He has been illustrating and painting watercolors, acrylics and oils for over fifty years.
J Russell’s background in graphic design, marketing communications and commercial illustration has prepared him for a successful career as a fine artist. Extensive editorial, book cover, annual report, advertising and display illustration has provided the foundation for his vibrant, colorful and impressionistic dynamic canvases.
He has taught design at Foothill College and San Jose State University. He has won awards for design and illustration from the New York Art Directors Club, the Addy’s, Western Art Directors Club, the Murphy Awards, American Graphic Design Awards, and the Print Industries of America (Benjamin Franklin Award, Best of Show).
A year long sabbatical in 2000 in Paris, France set the stage for his conversion from commercial design to fine art. There he experimented with style, color and content, studing the masters of impressionism Manet, Monet, Van Gogh, Cézanne, Renoir and more. Returning from Paris with 53 paintings, his painting career was launched with a two-artist show in San Jose. The journey continues…
