RUNNING WITH THE GIANTS
As a child, I kept getting into my grandmother's closets and
desk drawers, so my mother bought a drawing book
to keep me out of trouble, one of those books was "How to Draw the Human Figure." That book was to begin
my obsession with drawing and the human form.
In my junior and senior year of high school, I received
two Summer scholarships to attend special classes at Art Center
College of Design in Los Angeles.
As a young man, I served in the Air Force as a medic and studied art in my off-duty
hours in the Medical Corps. I signed up for a "Famous Artists Correspondence Course"
and turned my barracks room became a small studio.
I hide all the paintings, drawings and easels before every weekly room inspection.
One day the company commander did a surprise inspection. He walked into my
room and turned around and walked out shaking his head in unbelief.
We had a human skeleton in the x-ray department, I drew studies of it for hours
and memorized every bone on off-duty hours.
After the military, I Returned to Art Center. There I leaned to analyze the great
master painters and draftsmen especially those of the Renaissance.
You might say I learned to "run with the giants."
After my wife, Cheryl, and I married, we were blessed with our four beautiful children.
We sold our home and packed everything in a large trailer
not knowing to where we would relocate.
I also pulled a 4x5 utility trailer converted into a traveling studio, and I
supported us all illustrating children's books as we headed north.
We discovered Plumas County and built our home here.
I continued doing children's book illustrations, but my focus was always
on fine art drawing and painting.
Realism in painting doesn't interest me, design, composition, and movement
are more important to me.
The work of the great masters of the past inspire me most.
I still love running with the giants.
More of Russ's work can be seen on his website at:
www.russflint.com
