Bladder Hats and Ovary Heads

Richard Russell is the type of guy that buys antique medical books on his lunch breaks and carefully dissects them to expose the anatomical illustrations within. He's been using anatomical illustration in his collages for the past 25 years and finds a "peculiar lyrical quality" to them. He says,

"To me there is a certain "essence" present in this older ephemera that doesn't exist in new things. They come from a time when they were touched and handled during production, nurtured -- not just spit out of a series of machines."

While Russel can appreciate drawing and painting, he has found that collage is his "natural means to be a creator." You can certainly tell, with each cut-out precisely placed and matched to create an almost seamless image. Russell's collages are simple and to the point. Who knew that a bladder-hat could look so good!See more of Richard Russell's work at myrichardsart.com.