Russell Slocum
Landscape Paintings
In 2014, Russ Slocum turned his life-long hobby of painting landscapes into his full-time profession. His favorite subjects are the the woodlands of Pennsylvania and the coast of Maine.
Russ works primarily in oils, occasionally in acrylics and pastels. Most of his paintings are done en plein air, at least in part. Some are finished on the spot, others in the studio. The rest of his landscapes are painted from his own photos or sketches, usually after visiting a scene several times.
His Impressionistic style favors bold strokes, but varies according to the subject. For a quiet harbor or forest scene, he may work with brushes. For a rugged seascape, he may do the entire painting alla prima, with a palette knife.
ARTIST STATEMENT
On location I see subtleties in color and shapes that I can’t capture with a camera, but I’m not looking to replicate the little details of the scene. I’m looking to absorb the experience of being in that specific location, and to use paint to communicate, ‘this is what it feels like to be there.’
GETTING HERE
In making the transition to a full-time artist, Russ retired from a 40-year career in advertising as an agency owner, creative director and copywriter. During this time he also published articles in The New York Times Magazine, Playboy and Atlantic, and wrote two dozen children's story-coloring books. In 2011, he co-authored The Bit Ching Book of Change, a radical interpretation of the ancient I Ching that, according to a Writer’s Digest judge, took the “revered Asian source of wisdom and turned it on its ear to make it fun and relevant to the modern day.”
Russ Slocum, his wife Ann and his dog Buster live in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, and spend several weeks each year in Maine.
Landscape Paintings
In 2014, Russ Slocum turned his life-long hobby of painting landscapes into his full-time profession. His favorite subjects are the the woodlands of Pennsylvania and the coast of Maine.
Russ works primarily in oils, occasionally in acrylics and pastels. Most of his paintings are done en plein air, at least in part. Some are finished on the spot, others in the studio. The rest of his landscapes are painted from his own photos or sketches, usually after visiting a scene several times.
His Impressionistic style favors bold strokes, but varies according to the subject. For a quiet harbor or forest scene, he may work with brushes. For a rugged seascape, he may do the entire painting alla prima, with a palette knife.
ARTIST STATEMENT
On location I see subtleties in color and shapes that I can’t capture with a camera, but I’m not looking to replicate the little details of the scene. I’m looking to absorb the experience of being in that specific location, and to use paint to communicate, ‘this is what it feels like to be there.’
GETTING HERE
In making the transition to a full-time artist, Russ retired from a 40-year career in advertising as an agency owner, creative director and copywriter. During this time he also published articles in The New York Times Magazine, Playboy and Atlantic, and wrote two dozen children's story-coloring books. In 2011, he co-authored The Bit Ching Book of Change, a radical interpretation of the ancient I Ching that, according to a Writer’s Digest judge, took the “revered Asian source of wisdom and turned it on its ear to make it fun and relevant to the modern day.”
Russ Slocum, his wife Ann and his dog Buster live in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, and spend several weeks each year in Maine.
