Lenny Russo grew up in an artistic household, with his father being a commercial illustrator. Russo would use his father’s materials—paint, pencils and brushes—to create his own artwork. His passion for art continued into adulthood, but it wasn’t until retiring from a 30-year career in healthcare as a physician assistant that he transitioned to making art full time. During his medical career, he found time to draw and paint on his days off and it gave him an outlet.Lenny Russo working on the graphite on paper piece Prey.

Russo has an interest in both realism and abstraction. He explains, “I would describe my style of artwork as representational/realism with an abstract underpinning. That is, as a particular subject inspires me to paint or draw it, I will design the composition abstractly through a series of thumbnail sketches. When a particular abstract sketch seems to flow nicely, then I will begin a formal painting or drawing completing it in a realistic fashion.”Harvest, oil on linen panel, 24 x 24"

At this point in his career, Russo has a wide range of subject matter, and what inspires him to paint is how the light affects the mood of the scene or the object. “I love the play of light and shadow on a subject no matter what medium I use,” he explains. “I find it so thrilling that one can make a deeply moving piece if the interactions [of] light, shadows and value are played well.”

Russo uses his own reference materials for his still lifes. He composes the items into interesting groupings that he then paints. He uses photo references as a guide for some his works, but also relies on the abstract thumbnail sketches he makes that are then transferred to the canvas with graphite in a freestyle method.Father’s Oil, oil on canvas, 24 x 30"

Among his works is Harvest, which was inspired by the bowl in the composition, while the work Father’s Oil includes a bottle of linseed oil that his father used during his commercial illustrator days. Describing the latter work, he says, “[The linseed oil] had dried and solidified over the years. I was enthralled by the beautiful amber hue produced when light passed through and I wanted to capture this.” Other works include the graphite drawing Prey, which was inspired by an interesting tree branch he found while walking through the wood. Tangerine, oil on canvas, 11 x 14"

“There is so much beauty in our physical world. As most of us go about our busy lives, we sometimes fail to really see and appreciate this beauty,” Russo shares. “If I can capture the viewer’s attention so that they stop and study the subject and have an emotional experience, then I feel I have succeeded in the piece.” —

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