About Nancy Russell

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I grew up in Portland, Oregon. One of my earliest memories is of going to the Portland Art Museum with my mother. I loved to draw and my mom took me to exhibits of Van Gogh and Dali, and I remember the permanent exhibit of Native American art. From the beginning I saw art as a means of decoration and storytelling.   I taught art for a short time but gravitated to work in nonprofits, getting a masters in nonprofit administration in San Francisco in 1990. In 1991 I moved to Nepal, and for the next 20 years, traveled and lived in Africa and Asia.  I learned that there is a need in all cultures to tell their story through art, whether it is music, sculpture, painting or other means of expression. I was fascinated by wall paintings especially in Nepal, Tibet and Ethiopia. Traditional art, or folk art often tells stories in a few simple lines.  In America I learned about Outsider artists or visionary artists, who are untrained artists, who often create art from whatever they have at hand.  Whether they are women in Nepal, monks in Tibet or visionary artists in America, they all tell stories using local materials, and often on their walls.

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Now that I live in my own house in Moss Landing, California I have made my home my art. Home is where my art is.  I inherited my house from my aunt who created a loving space for a local artist named Maureen (Mo) Walsh.  Mo lived a simple life of art and beauty.  Her spirit lives on as her living space is now my studio. My work is influenced by her and all the art and stories I have been lucky enough to see and experience around the world. I especially love to use mirrors as so much of the art in India has mirrors incorporated in it. I think of the mirrors as a means of adding sparkle while also reflecting the world around each piece. In this way my art is a truly a reflection of me and my life.