June 2009--At a time when the art world seems so unpredictable, when the economic climate creates a universal sense of unease and misdirection, it is both refreshing and uplifting to discover a trace of certainty. Paul Russo is an artist who is on a mission to share his work with the world, and he knows just how to get there. Much like the way he creates his art, Russo builds upon his efforts one task at a time, with all the discipline and focus required for meditation. The artist holds a clear vision of what he hopes to achieve, thus enabling him to successfully follow his chosen career path, one that he has shaped on his own.

Intrigued by the way he is able to balance the creation of meaningful art and the promotion of that work to provide its meaning, I decided to ask Paul Russo some questions about his methods and views as an artist.

Emily Johnsen: What led you to create work within the strict limitations of a monochromatic medium?  What appealed to you most about producing such work?  Was it a challenge you proposed for yourself, or were you inspired by related feats of earlier artists?

Paul Russo: Through a process of trial and error and experimentation, I discovered the simplest method—using only black—produced work with the strongest visual impact installed. The extreme nature of limiting the creative process to working only with black "forced" a focus which proved to be unlimited and multifaceted in scope.  I studied the mid-century American abstract expressionist movement together with the art and philosophy of the New York Radical Painters who emerged later. Also, the work of Jackson Pollock, Yves Klein, Joan Mitchell and Cy Twombly impressed me greatly.

EJ: Are there particular experiences in your life that have played a role in the work you produce?

PR: Visiting the Portland Art Museum in Oregon, I gazed upon a giant Jackson Pollock painting in one of the main galleries and was awestruck. I instantly understood the power of abstract art. From that moment forward, I decided to pursue abstract art as my consuming passion. Initially, I was very frustrated that my first attempts were not museum quality work. (The gall of me!)

EJ: Would you say that your paintings and sculptures are premeditated?  Do you undergo studies to produce each work or would you say your art stems more from your unconscious?  If you believe it is the latter, what do you find inspires each piece?  In general, do you look to any particular sources for inspiration?

PR: My work is almost always extemporaneous, flowing naturally from the unconscious mind. Intuitive urges inspire each individual piece as opposed to any intellectual process. Feelings and intuition nudge me forward each day without rational deliberation. It's a stimulating way to work since I never know what's next on the creative agenda. Serendipity plays an important part of every artistic undertaking.

EJ: Would you describe for me the process of creating one of your works? How do you approach each work? On average, how long does it take to create one of your paintings or sculptures, or over what period of time?  Do you have a system of any sort that you employ?  What kinds of tools do you use?  Personally, how would you describe the experience?

PR: The process of creating a typical mixed media work starts these days with the spray painting of a canvas with several coats of fast-drying black oil-based paint. Once dried, I place the black canvas flat on a table and commence applying black latex caulk from a gun in some sort of pattern or series of small patterns. I sometimes leave these to dry or other times I set pieces of coal or copper BBs or other objects in the wet caulk. This stage of the work is typically brief—some of my best pieces were completed in a half-hour of working furiously before the caulk set up. Other times I let the caulk dry overnight and re-apply more caulk over the dry material in a step by step layering effort. This method can go on for days or even weeks with short application sessions one day after the next until the work is finished.

I use basic tools such as a caulking gun, various wooden sticks and "smudge cloths." Very rarely are brushes or art supplies used with the exception of the pre-primed canvases. I start the sculptures by covering a painted form such as a coffee can or cylindrical piece of PVC pipe with dozens of layers of latex caulk for a long period of time—up to six weeks until the work is completed. The sculpture Alcibiades—which has been acquired by The State Museum of Contemporay Art in Thessaloniki, Greece—took six weeks of daily applications to complete. My work habits and methods involve simple repetitive applications as opposed to any one great length of time spent laboring over a canvas or sculpture. I work on several pieces simultaneously—for example, last night I completed three works on paper and worked on a small canvas piece in a single session. It's a productive and enjoyable way to get a lot of work done over the course of a month.

EJ: Many artists have particular preferences about the environment in which they work, or are even able to work.  Given that you purposely limit yourself in terms of your medium/color, do you find that you have other set requirements for creating your art?

PR: My only set requirement is that I stay vigilant and avoid creative ruts—specifically, avoiding copying a piece that received good reviews or that sold quickly.

EJ: What is the significance of your work titles, if any?

PR: The titles of my work are the result of a stream of consciousness at the exact moment of time of the naming. I firmly believe in the naming of a piece, with the exception of sketches and abstract works on paper which are only signed and dated. To paraphrase a Taoist sage, "Everything that exists has a name. That which does not exist has no name."
Think about that...

EJ: As your work has recently been added to four more museum collections, to what would you attribute your success?

PR: Regarding the steady series of museum acquisitions of my work, I will once again paraphrase a sage, "Seek and you will find. Ask and it will be given unto you." I have introduced my work to every contemporary art museum in the world and currently 17 have accepted my work into their permanent collections. The Housatonic Museum of Art in Bridgeport, Connecticut acquired three large pieces. My work is in museum collections in North America, Europe and Asia.

EJ: How do you balance creating artwork and promoting yourself as an artist? What does a typical work day look like for you?

PR: I balance the creation of art and the promoting of that art by doing both things each and every day. I work on at least one piece and ask at least one person to help out daily. After one year you have a large body of new work completed and you've asked hundreds of people for their assistance in forwarding your career. After a few years of small daily efforts, both a momentum and continuum are created. Success and notable achievements are merely a series of small steps, one after the other, repeated again and again in a continuous effort in a single direction. This works in harmony with the natural order of creation and growth of the universe.

EJ: Speaking of growth, in what direction do you see your work going? Where would you like to take it in the future?

PR: My work will continue to evolve in new directions always building on what has been done before. Working with a technique or style that I've never done before provides the greatest satisfaction. I plan on completing a large number of small works on paper in 2009, most of which will be kept by me or given to my two children for their personal collections.

EJ: You have twice quoted the wisdom of Taoist sages. Do you have any other mottos by which you live?

PR: Some favorite mottos include: "Perseverance furthers." (I Ching), "Victory belongs to the most persevering." (Napoleon Bonaparte) and "In the realm of ideas, everything depends on enthusiasm; in the real world all rests on perseverance." (Johann von Goethe).

EJ: Do you ever find it difficult to tap into your creative unconscious? If so, how do you overcome the obstacle or distraction?

PR: By acting without conscious deliberation is the best way of tapping into the unconscious creative mind. Just work and see what happens...

EJ: What advice might you give artists in the early stages of their career?

PR: The most important advice I would give to artists in the early stages of their careers is to do their own thinking.

EJ: What would you say was the most valuable lesson you have learned?

PR: The most important thing I've learned is the fact that things happen because you work to make them happen. Each and every effect has a definite and specific cause. A sum is a total of its parts...the erroneous concept called “Luck” implies an effect without any apparent cause.

EJ: What has been your greatest challenge as an artist? Your greatest achievement?

PR: The constant creation of new work—the steady movement forward with a growing body of art is both an ongoing challenge and achievement.

Artslant would like to thank Paul Russo for making this interview possible.

—Emily Johnsen

Images: "IL Giardino"- mixed media piece consisting of latex caulk, coal, a wooden stick, plastic wrap and a date pit on a primed canvas (January 2009), "Lugano"- latex and coal mixed media piece (January 2009), and "Alcibiades" a latex caulk sculpture (April 2009).