Russell Bignold is a British fine art painter and sculptor whose work has developed from a rigorous classical training in drawing, portraiture and figurative painting towards an increasingly expressive and contemporary approach to the painted image.

Russell's decision to pursue art as a career came in 2012 when he discovered the Charles H. Cecil Studio in Florence, Italy, and learned that its Senior Instructor and master artist, Nicholas Beer, also taught in Salisbury. Russell subsequently joined Nicholas at his Sarum studio, where he developed a strong foundation in the sight-size method taught in Florence. He applied this approach to figurative and portrait drawing before progressing into oil painting.

Russell was particularly drawn to the discipline and visual understanding demanded by this method, and to its historical relationship with artists who had employed aspects of it to create works of great beauty and observation. His classical training continues to inform his work, providing a strong understanding of structure, proportion, colour and the human form.

In 2016, Russell studied at the Flemish Classical Atelier in Bruges, Belgium, under international artist Teresa Oaxaca, and in 2017 studied sculpture with the internationally renowned sculptor Maudie Brady. He has subsequently studied with the American artist Karen Offutt and British sculptor Livia Turco, alongside workshops with Anthony Connolly RP and Tim Benson, President of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters.

Although Russell's early work was principally representational, his practice has increasingly evolved towards a more personal and exploratory language. His current work continues to draw on his understanding of observation, structure and colour, while introducing a greater degree of abstraction and experimentation.

His recent still-life paintings explore the relationship between objects, colour and space, often combining recognisable forms with more abstract elements. These works reflect his continuing interest in pushing the boundaries of representation while retaining a connection with the observed world.

Alongside this developing work, Russell has created a series of still-life paintings centred on vintage toys and objects associated with childhood. These paintings explore the emotional resonance that familiar objects can acquire through memory and association. Rather than being simply nostalgic, the works consider the way childhood experiences remain embedded in objects and how, with the passage of time, an ordinary toy can become a powerful reminder of imagination, family and earlier stages of life.

Across both his representational and more abstract work, Russell is interested in the point at which an observed subject becomes something more personal — where paint, colour, memory and emotion begin to influence the way the subject is perceived.

Russell's principal interest has always been in the challenge of representational painting and as well as his still-life series, he still enjoys pursuing his love of portraiture and figurative work combining careful observation with a disciplined approach to drawing, proportion, anatomy, colour and the handling of light. His paintings are developed through a sustained study of the subject, with attention to accuracy, structure and the subtle qualities that give a work its sense of life.

He has also developed an enduring interest in sculpture, working in french wax and clay to create portrait busts and figurative pieces. His sculpture Pietà Realiste was exhibited at St Paul's Church in Wokingham on two occasions before being vandalised and destroyed while on exhibition. Russell has also undertaken commissioned portrait sculpture and figurative work.

Russell is committed to the quality and longevity of his materials. He works primarily in oil on linen canvas and linen panels, often stretching his own linen canvas over quality stretchers. He has also developed an interest in preparing and grinding his own oil colours using high-quality pigments and oils. This attention to material and process reflects the same combination of discipline and experimentation that characterises his painting.

Russell's influences extend across a broad range of artistic periods and approaches. His interest in the Old Masters and classical tradition includes artists such as Van Dyck, Gainsborough and Reynolds, while Sargent, Sorolla and the Russian painters Isaac Levitan and Ilya Repin have also informed his appreciation of colour, atmosphere and painterly expression.

His interest in more modern and contemporary approaches to painting has drawn him towards artists including Egon Schiele, Francis Bacon, Frank Auerbach, Leon Kossoff and, in particular, Cecily Brown. Contemporary artists such as Teresa Oaxaca and Richard Schmidt have also contributed to his continuing development.

As an artist, Russell's aim is to create an emotional and visual thread between the painting and the viewer — a moment in which the viewer may pause, look again and contemplate the work, perhaps providing a brief break from the often hectic nature of modern life.

Russell has exhibited widely in the UK and has sold work both in the UK and the United States. Alongside his own practice, he tutors adults and children and conducts oil-painting and sculpture workshops in Hampshire.

Selected Exhibitions & Recognition

2025 — Exhibitor, ING Discerning Eye, Mall Galleries, London

2023 — Exhibitor, ING Discerning Eye, Mall Galleries, London

2021 — Shortlisted, Visual Arts Open Exhibition

2020 — Exhibitor, ING Discerning Eye, Mall Galleries, London

2017 — Pre-selected, Royal Scottish Academy of Art & Architecture

2017 — Top 15% of entries, international BoldBrush Competition

2015 — Commemorative posthumous portrait of Captain Aiden Liddell unveiled by Brigadier Bruce Russell MBE; now held in the private collection of Sheffield School

2015 — Artist in Residence, Sherfield School, Hampshire

2015 — Pre-selected, Royal Society of Oil Painters

2015 — Recognition for quality of work, Collection Beaux-Arts Realiste

2015 — Pre-selected, BP Portrait Award

2014 — Pre-selected, Royal Society of British Artists

2014 — Pre-selected, Royal Society of Portrait Painters

2013 — Top 15% of entries, international BoldBrush Competition

2013 — Runner-up, Sherfield Gallery Open Exhibition