Russ Warren

Biografía

Russ Warren, described by various critics as Neo Expressionist, Funky Figurative or “Mad Cap Surrealist” has been exhibited nationally and internationally since the 1970’s. He is best known for his large-scale acrylic paintings that exaggerate scale, shadow and perspective to increase drama and expression, and his iconic imagery of figures or animals attenuated in surreal landscapes or overlapping in tangles of linear colorful webs. His oeuvre includes work in most media from oil to acrylic, sculpture, collage, ceramics, drawings, prints and lately livestock marker, a medium well suited for a series of bulls, a subject he favored in his early years. He gains inspiration from folk art and outsider art as well as from such greats as Goya, Velazquez and Picasso as well as Dubuffet, Rufino Tamayo and Roy de Forest. But his works are ultimately his own powerful blend of iconic imagery presented with sure line, textured brushwork, brilliant color and surprising composition. After a “Best in Show” award from the New Museum’s Marcia Tucker, Warren began exhibiting with Phyllis Kind in New York and Chicago and in such exhibitions as Whitney Biennial and the Venice Biennale. He concurrently taught Studio Art for 30 years at Davidson College in NC before moving to Charlottesville VA where he has worked more vigorously and prolifically than ever. His survey show in 2015, aptly titled "Russ Warren Works" chronicles his 45 plus year career and is accompanied by a scholarly catalogue.