Russell is a realist artist well known for his sumptuous still-life paintings. Most recently he has included portraits of North American birds to his oeuvre. Bird study is not new to the artist; in fact he first fell in love with drawing as a youth while copying the work of John James Audubon. With a desire to to learn more about his native fowl he would often take to the woods looking for birds to render directly from life. As an adult, observing birds has allowed him to return to nature. He finds it refreshing and invigorating to leave the “controlled environment” of the studio in search of subject matter. Living and working in rural upstate New York provides the ideal place to observe, to be inspired by and then to render these avian paintings. Gordon completed a rigorous atelier program at the Schuler School of Fine Arts in Baltimore, Maryland and, subsequently, furthered his academic art education for three years as an apprentice to Will Wilson. Armed with an arsenal of expertise and a strong interest in the later still life works of the Northern Renaissance painters, he began to approach his art practice with increasing virtuosity. He stretches his own canvases and frequently fashions the frames which house his works. Gordon’s still life, floral and bird paintings are opulent, almost jewel-like, and obsessively detailed. He hand grinds his own paints and utilizes Maroger Medium to increase the transparency, which allows for a sumptuous layering effect. Moreover, the artist often employs chiaroscuro to create striking tension within his compositions; this technique is exceptionally successful with pieces depicting decadent vanitas or naturalistic subject matter. Although the Dutch Masters’ influence is underpinning, the artist manages to imbue his work with an astute contemporary feeling, moments of whimsy and a lovely freshness, referencing classical and naturalistic art but instilling also a sense of timelessness.