Contemporary artist Cobie Russell pulls back the brilliant curtain on her work, inspiration behind her work and her ever-evolving relationship with color.
Cobie Russell with daughter Lindsay Barnes in her studio.
Tell me about your philosophy and what you have been working on lately.
An artist’s job is to communicate a fresh viewpoint—perhaps with a new emphasis, a different angle, or an approach with an enhanced sensibility. The artist’s greatest gift is the ability to share that feeling. I’ve been working on a series called “Intervals of Light,“ using bold color lines on large sheets of Japanese Kozo paper and bright forms residing in fields of color.
Can you expand on your relationship with color and how you seek inspiration?
The changing palettes I work with are drawn from color notes I take while traveling. Color perception changes along with the changes in natural light. A blue that may appear wonderfully vibrant in the light of one location may appear quite subdued in another. The soft summer light of the Netherlands creates an environment for color perception very different from that of the brilliant summer light of Texas.
Tell us about your approach as an artist.
My work is about energy and optimism in a visual form. I usually work on large surfaces. They invite me—and invite the viewer—into the piece. Climb in. Walk around a little. Get a sense of the wholeness and become a part of it for a moment. My hope is that viewers can enter a space of contemplation they might never have dreamed possible.
What do you hope to share with patrons and emerging artists of our future?
This big, beautiful world is filled with opportunities to have wonderful conversations with people engaged in their work and ideas. There is so much to learn. There is so much to understand. There is art–the single most important activity that defines mankind and mediates the human condition as it always has.
Photography by: PHOTO COURTESY OF COBIE RUSSELL STUDIO
