Join artist Chris Russell in the Lounge at Minnesota Street Project in conversation with Eleanor Harwood before the opening reception for Wild Flowers at Eleanor Harwood Gallery. His still life and landscapes investigate particular outdoor places he has recently experienced in the Northwest. The diverse climates and specific plants, lichens, rocks, and fungus are the subjects of his paintings. Hear from Chris about his ventures outdoors to paint from sublimity.

Born in Boulder, Colorado, Chris Russell earned his BFA from California College of the Arts in 2006. After ten years in the Bay Area, Russell spent the summer of 2012 in Piedmont, Italy, as Martin Arts artist in residence. His work has been exhibited throughout the California Bay Area, Italy, and Oregon. Chris Russell lives and works in Portland, Oregon.

Artist Statement
Working loosely within the genre of landscape painting, I explore my relationship with the natural world. I have been trying to create an artistic process that necessitates spending time outside, something vital to my general wellbeing. Starting from my experiences outside, my observations playfully interact with experimentation and the formal act of painting. I am interested in a painting that becomes an image of the process of its creation; exploring tension between illusionistic realism, gesture and the materiality of paint. I aim for a balance that works as a painting and relates to the chaos and balance that is omnipresent in the densely layered flora of the Northwest landscape.

Arrive early to enjoy brunch, 11:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., at Besharam.

Due to limited space, advance tickets are highly recommended.