The view of Nottingham Forest Football Club as seen from Trent Bridge.
Local scenes also get the Carole Russell treatment, for instance, the view of Nottingham Forest Football Club
across the River Trent. “Creating this picture was a learning experience. I went up to Trent Bridge, and took photos, then a rare thing happened – I sat and did some sketching under the bridge. A fellow artist told me you see so much more from this angle, an increased depth, and they were right. We artists don’t mind helping each other. We’re a nice bunch. My sketches were awful but I knew what they m e a n t .”
Carole has becoming increasingly well-known for her paintings of cats. Picking out a picture of a blue-hued moggy, I’m compelled to look at it more and more. If you look closely at its eye, you’ll discover w hy. “I was completely drawn to the shape of the cat’s eye. I worked from photos. While painting, I matched the rest of the cat to this shape. It really took hold of me. It’s my pride and joy at the moment.” Rightly so as after my meeting with Carole, she won the Holbrook Prize for this painting. It’s an accolade awarded by the Nottingham Society of Artists (NSA), of which Carole has been a member since 2009, the award itself dating back to 1904. Of receiving it, she says: “It’s an amazing feeling when peer group are saying you’re good”. Carole’s in fine company as previous recipients include Dame Laura Knight who won the prize in 1905.
Another recurring theme in Carole’s work 58 NOTTINGHAMSHIRE TODAY
is magnolia blossoms. “I work from photographs and am drawn to the translucency of their petals, I’ve done about four of them now.” Carole’s developed her own process for painting. She explains: “I limit the amount of colours I use, you don’t need all the colours all of the time, mixing just two get the right colour quicker, simplifying things and you
‘Once I’m painting, I really get in the zone, forgetting about lunch, everything. I’m transported’
don’t overload the viewer’s eye. I’ll only use about four colours. When I’ve decided which ones, it gets the creative process going. “Once I’m painting, I really get in the zone, forgetting about lunch, the temperature, everything. I’m transported and as soon as I stop, I’m aware of my surroundings. It’s a fantastic feeling. I envy anyone else who experiences this. “In the background, I might have the
cricket on television, but never any music because I would sing along and not be concentrating on my painting. If you start to
think about anything else, you’re not painting. “When we were having a new floor laid in the front room, I didn’t want to stop painting so I took everything outside and carried on under the barbecue awning. I finished that painting of a cat in one afternoon. “I get so much enjoyment from painting. I go into a lovely zone, with not a care in the world. Even if I feel unwell, I’ll still want to paint, I just love ‘it’– the process.” Other subjects Carole’s worked on include a russet-toned Highland Cow (“painted from a Facebook photograph”), a breakfast scene called Toast, (“because I fancied doing a still life – I set it up in my kitchen, took photos and painted it”) and the self-explanatory Dripping Tap (“I saw the shape of the water drip and had to paint it”). Carole’s also got a penchant for capturing famous faces including sports stars Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Usain Bolt (“I was drawn to the shape of his muscles”) and comedian Russell Brand. Much of Carole’s work has sold proving it’s as collectible as it is diverse. (Visit
www.carolerussellart.co.uk if you’d like to see more of it.) “When my first painting at the NSA sold, a scene of the Lake District, it was a total rush, I wasn’t right for the rest of the afternoon, I was so excited, I don’t think I even took their money! “I paint purely for enjoyment, getting totally engrossed in what I’m doing. It’s a glorious feeling. A small sale on eBay is a great feeling too though!”
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