Melanie Russell
London
Painting & drawing in oil and watercolour. Works sit between representation and abstraction using natural forms as a starting point.
Melanie Russell creates drawings and paintings which capture fleeting moments of botanical beauty in loose lines full of energy, mimicking the very spring that nature relies on to burst into bloom. Russell’s works are playful and experimental as well as quiet and sensitive, dancing between representation and abstraction.
Observational drawings are the basis of her works which she approaches with a sense of naivety, creating loose drawings in a range of materials, from graphite to pastel and charcoal. She breaks down the organic forms into complex confident lines against a patchwork of colour, giving as much importance to the form as the navigation of negative spaces.
Russell’s work is a celebration of life and growth, the organic forms which are the subject of her work mainly come from her garden which she created from seed and cuttings, spawning each flower and plant from seed to exuberance. Found objects also act as a muse to Russell’s work; plants, shells and leaves which catch her eye are collected and studied. The colour palette is abundantly bold and vibrant alongside works which relish in rich hues and subtle pastels. Reminiscent of stained glass windows, the works are monuments to the wonderment of the natural world.
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